"Whale Wars" star Paul Watson freed on bail from German jail

Activists hang a placard picturing founder of marine conservation group Sea Shepherd, Paul Watson in front of the Federal Ministry of Justice in Berlin, Germany, on May 18, 2012. / KAY NIETFELD/AFP/GettyImages

(CBS/AP) FRANKFURT, Germany - The founder of the environmental activist group Sea Shepherd has left a German jail after a court ordered him freed on bail pending a decision on whether he will be extradited to Costa Rica.

Paul Watson told reporters he was relieved to be free, a week after his detention at Frankfurt Airport on a Costa Rican warrant. He said Monday: "I didn't expect something that happened 10 years ago to sneak up on me in Germany."

Sea Shepherd group founder arrested in Germany

Costa Rica claims that Watson, a 61-year-old Canadian, endangered a fishing boat and its crew in 2002. Sea Shepherd says Watson was filming a documentary in 2002 when his team encountered an illegal shark-finning operation in Guatemalan waters.

Last Friday, a Frankfurt court ruled that Watson could be freed on euro250,000 ($320,000) bail.

Watson and Sea Shepherd are the subject of the Animal Planet reality series, Whale Wars.

[jd2408]

Paul Watson is a true hero. Laws and agreements mean nothing if they can not be enforced. I wish him and his crew the best and hope he is free to continue his mission soon. We need more like them.

[Lerianis4]

by vsmit May 21, 2012 10:05 PM EDT
I cheered when that "super boat" of theirs got run over by the Japanese research vessel. These people are terrorists, plain and simple. Jail time is appropriate. Particularly in Costa Rica!
____________________

Only in your opinion, vomit. The bottom line is that this man is fighting for a cause that he believes in, much like our Founding Fathers in America did.

You want me to state the NUMEROUS things equivalent to terrorism that our Founding Fathers did during the war for independence? Yeah, I didn't think so, you already know them if you have cracked open any history books.

[nuetu]

That does not change the fact that they are media ******, and are more interested in getting their message out there than they are in changing any international policy. They care more about Marine mammals than they do about human life. Every member of the whale wars team should be brought up on criminal charges. They endanger HUMAN lives and should not be encouraged. I wonder if Costa Rica has the death penalty...?

[freeamerica31]

I believe Paul Watson has valid arguments for stopping illegal hunting of whales or other species of marine life that continue to be poached upon just as any other species on this earth.

Having said that, he has taken it upon himself to try and end legal activities because he disagrees with legal hunting of some Marine Species and that's where Paul Watson and I part ways.

If he comes after legal hunting and interferes with the rights of others, I would have him arrested, prosecuted and send him to prison. Paul Watson has done good for the marine life but Paul don't go too far and try to stop legal activities...there is a difference.

[Lerianis4]

With all due respect, this man believes that these things should be illegal and that the more attention he brings to them, the more likely people are to come to his side of things.

He is right on the money with that and I personally hope that he keeps on harassing the whale hunters.

[audemus]

Simply because an activity is classified as "legal", does not make it automatically "right". Thank God that there are people willing to take a stand against some things that are not questioned legally, that probably should be.

[kb0063]

Paul Watson is just a Total A$$. I dont disagree that the Laws in place to protect the Marine Life in the Worlds Oceans need to be better enforced, Just as the Laws protecting the Life of wild animals. But the way he goes about it is the same as a Terrorist on Human Life.What right does he have to put the lives of people out trying to make a living in danger. I wont post things on here trying to sound like some bad a$$ but I WOULD LOVE to be on a Boat that Paul Watson came after.

[Nenitaj1]

Oh yeah he's such a terrorist. he's throwing bombs and killing innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shut up.

[vsmit]

I cheered when that "super boat" of theirs got run over by the Japanese research vessel. These people are terrorists, plain and simple. Jail time is appropriate. Particularly in Costa Rica!

[CBS_CEO]

Seems the Germans and Japanese are still the enemy.