'Animal Planet' Star Arrested: Paul Watson Facing Possible Extradition

Canadian-American anti-whaling environmentalist Paul Watson has been arrested in Greenland. Watson, who appeared in Animal Planet 's Whale Wars , was arrested under an international arrest warrant issued by Japan on the morning of July 21 when his ship docked in the autonomous Greenland capital Nuuk to refuel, according to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation and Greenland Police.

The arrest occurred as Watson, 73, and his crew of 25 volunteer crew members aboard the 72-meter flagship the M/Y John Paul DeJoria were en route to the North West Passage to intercept the Kangei Maru, Japan's newly-built factory whaling ship. While the vessel was stopped in Nuuk, more than a dozen Danish police and SWAT team members boarded the M/Y John Paul DeJoria as it made port and arrested Watson, with the leader of the Danish federal police boarding party reportedly stating, "we were here, and arrested Paul due to an international arrest order from Japan."

According to CPWF, Watson's arrest is connected to a former Red Notice issued for his "previous anti-whaling interventions in the Antarctic region." CNN confirmed that Interpol issued a Red Notice for Watson in September 2012, two years after the JCG issued an arrest warrant for him. However, Watson's organization said "the Red Notice had disappeared a few months ago" and they believe "the reactivation of the Red Notice against Captain Watson is politically motivated and coincides with the launch of a newly-built factory whale processing vessel."

"We're completely shocked, as the Red Notice had disappeared a few months ago. We were surprised because it could mean that it had been erased or made confidential," Locky MacLean, Ship Operation's Director for CPWF, said. "We understand now that Japan made it confidential to lure Paul into a false sense of security. We implore the Danish government to release Captain Watson and not entertain this politically-motivated request."

Watson was reportedly led off the ship and taken to the local police station. CWPF said "the crew and Foundation have no means of contacting him and have had no further news." Watson remains in custody and will be brought before a district judge with a request to detain him pending a decision on his possible extradition to Japan. In a statement, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) told CNN it was aware of Watson's arrest and "will continue to respond appropriately in coordination and cooperation with related organizations."

Watson is a former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, whose high-seas confrontations with whaling vessels has drawn support from A-list celebrities and featured in Animal Planet's Whaling Wars, which aired in 2008. However, the society's tactics also landed him in legal trouble, and Watson was detained in Germany on an international arrest warrant issued by Costa Rica in 2012. He skipped bail after learning he was also being sought for extradition by Japan. He left Sea Shepherd in 2022 to establish his own organization.