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“Costa Rica and Germany have simply been pawns in the Japanese quest to silence Sea Shepherd in an attempt to stop our annual opposition of their illegal whaling activities,” he said. “This is not about justice; it is about revenge.”

Watson gave little indication of his whereabouts, but suggested he remained at sea.

The Sea Shepherd Society has waged aggressive campaigns to protect marine animals, prompting Japan to label its members terrorists and to seek Watson’s arrest for allegedly masterminding violent protests.

Interpol said the information it received from Costa Rica spurred it to ask its 190 members to arrest Watson so the extradition process can resume.

Sea Shepherd maintains Watson’s arrest was politically motivated.

“The elevation of the attack against our organization and our founder… is not unexpected,” Sea Shepherd director Susan Hartland said in a statement posted on the group’s website.

“Sea Shepherd fully supports Captain Watson and is at work with our international teams to resolve this politically motivated battle,” she said.

The organization said Watson was filming a documentary at the time of the alleged incident in Guatemalan waters in 2002.

Sea Shepherd fully supports Captain Watson and is at work with our international teams to resolve this politically motivated battle

The group said it encountered an illegal shark finning operation run by a Costa Rican ship and told the crew to stop and head to port to be prosecuted.

The crew accused Sea Shepherd of trying to kill them by ramming their ship.

Watson parted ways with Greenpeace in 1977 to set up the Sea Shepherd Society.

The group has had a controversial history. Its tactics have drawn praise from supporters and vehement attacks from critics.

The Canadian Press