SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea criticized the US for refusing to extradite a person who was accused of staging a break-in at North Korea’s embassy in Spain in 2019, saying Washington was defending terrorism, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.
The North Korean embassy in Madrid issued a press release marking the fourth anniversary of the raid, throughout which a bunch of males certain and gagged workers for hours earlier than driving off with computer systems and different gadgets.
Pyongyang denounced the incident as a “grave breach of sovereignty and terrorist attack” however accused the US of not investigating the group completely and refusing to extradite its chief, Christopher Ahn, calling it a violation of worldwide regulation.
Ahn, a former US Marine who had labored as a human rights activist, was arrested in Los Angeles in April 2019 however freed on $1.3 million bail three months later.
“Ahn must be severely punished as he inflicted severe mental, physical and material damage on the members of the diplomatic staff and their families,” the embassy mentioned in a press release carried by KCNA.
“But the US is openly protecting and encouraging acts of terrorism against our citizens abroad based on groundless claims,” it added.
The embassy referred to as Washington’s conduct “daylight robbery” and “gangster,” demanding it present a proper apology and compensation and arrest and extradite the raiders.
Spanish authorities recognized the intruders as members of a bunch referred to as Cheollima Civil Defense, or Free Joseon, which seeks the overthrow of North Korean chief Kim Jong Un, and sought Ahn’s extradition.
The group had acknowledged it was behind the break-in however mentioned its members have been invited inside.
US court docket paperwork confirmed that the raiders took computer systems, arduous drives and a cell phone from the embassy and handed them over to the FBI after fleeing to the US. The FBI gave the objects to Spanish authorities who ultimately returned them to the embassy. — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
