..bAD tIMES aC..

txt via sailinganarchy.com

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AC Dope

Bad Times

From wire service reports today including this from the AFP (French Press Angecy):

An ETA suspect arrested this week in Spain was planning an attack on the America's Cup, several newspapers said on Friday quoting Spanish police.

Iker Aguirre Bernadal was arrested on Thursday during a routine check by police on a train that had crossed the border between the French town of Perpignan on its way to Barcelona on Spain's Mediterranean coast.

The Spanish interior ministry said he was wanted for committing "an act of terror and public order-related offenses," the subject of a warrant issued in July 2004 by a Basque provincial court.

Spanish media said that 3 000 euros in cash, six false identification papers as well as manuals on making explosives were found on Bernadal when he was arrested.

"He was to obtain information on the America's Cup which starts in Valencia in April and will run for several months," said the centre-left newspaper El Pais quoting police.

ETA's military chief Garikoitz Aspiazu "Txeroki" had asked him "to set up the infrastructure in Valencia to carry out one or several attacks during the America's Cup," said the right-wing daily ABC quoting investigators.

This is probably not what Ernesto Bertarelli had in mind when he said he wanted drag the America's Cup into 21st century, and he must be be having second thoughts about why he ever chose Spain over historically safer countries. But then Spain offered him the best tax breaks and behind the scenes funding for his Alinghi team. Russell Coutts, who wanted to put the AC in the quieter and safer environs of Lisbon, Portugal, would be laughing himself silly right about now if this was not such a serious matter.

Sailing Anarchy is about chilling and having some mischievous fun in the too often stiff, starchy yachting world. Anarchy in civilized societies - terrorism and the like - is another matter and entirely despicable. We are glad that the Spanish police caught the prick, and sincerely hope this is the last we hear or see of the ETA or any similar band of assholes through the end of this America's Cup.