MADRID: Spanish activists yesterday removed part of a controversial artificial reef which was built in disputed waters near Gibraltar despite objections from Madrid.
The two-tonne concrete block was one of 70 that Gibraltar dropped into the sea in July 2013 saying it was creating an artificial reef that would boost fish populations.
Madrid complained the barrier prevents Spanish fishing boats that trawl for shellfish from operating in the area, and in response, introduced stringent border checks on its border with Gibraltar.
The checks caused a diplomatic row and lead to lengthy delays for motorists trying to enter the tiny British outpost on the southern tip of Spain.
A nationalist group, the Foundation for the Defence of the Spanish Nation, said four divers and a fishing boat had removed the concrete block from the reef before dawn and taken it to the Spanish port of San Roque.
The group — which accuses Spain’s conservative government of not doing enough to remove the artificial reef — published photos of the haul on its website.
“Four divers and a small fishing boat were enough,” the president of the group, Santiago Abascal, wrote in a Twitter message alongside a photo of himself with the divers. Spanish police have since seized the block from the activists, he added.
The removal of part of the reef comes as Britain’s minister for Europe, David Lidington, is in Gibraltar for a two day visit.
Lidington toured the Gibraltar’s border with Spain with Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo but did not speak to reporters.
“The removal of a concrete block is an individual act of vandalism. It is not a violation of British sovereignty,” said a spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Office, who added that it is up to Gibraltan police to uphold the law in the British territory.
The mayor of Algeciras, the port which lies across the bay from Gibraltar, condemned the move by the activists, saying it could have posed a risk to boats sailing in the area.
Man held in Oslo imam attack case
OSLO: A Norwegian man of Pakistani origin was arrested yesterday over the attempted murder of the imam of Oslo’s main mosque two weeks ago, police said.
“The man will be questioned as soon as possible, and a decision on remanding him in custody is expected later this week,” violent crime unit head Egil Kulseth said in a statement, adding that he did not rule out further arrests.
Police said the man, aged around 30, was being questioned on suspicion of being either the perpetrator or an accomplice in the attempted murder.
Nehma Ali Shah, the imam of the Central Jamaat Ahle-Sunnat mosque, was attacked with a “sharp object” by a masked assailant close to his home on June 17.
AFP
