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The United States is seeking to extradite James “Fergie” Chambers, a wealthy heir to the Cox media fortune, from Spain after accusing him of money laundering and providing material support to Hamas.

Getting into it: Spanish authorities arrested Chambers on Ibiza on July 10 on an international warrant, according to The Guardian, which first reported it. He’s now being held in Madrid on a sealed indictment related to money laundering and material support for terrorism. The High Court has 40 days to sign off or reject, and a yes kicks the final decision up to the Council of Ministers. He landed in custody a day after resharing an Iranian post on X that called for Trump to be killed.

Chambers is a self-described communist and estranged heir to the family behind Cox Enterprises, a media empire Forbes values at around $27 billion. He broke with his family in 2023, selling his shares back to them for a reported $250 million, then poured the money into progressive and humanitarian causes, communist collectives, activist bail funds, and legal defense for protesters. He put more than $1 million toward humanitarian work in Gaza, according to his partner and lawyer, and emerged as a major funder of Palestine Action, the group now operating as Unity of Fields, known for direct-action campaigns against Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems.

Chambers has a long history of inflammatory rhetoric, praising the October 7 Hamas attacks as a “moment of hope and inspiration” and saying in a 2023 interview, “I chant death to America every day,” though he’s insisted the protests he bankrolls stop short of violence. He converted to Islam and left the US, living in Tunisia and Ireland before his arrest.

Spanish lawmakers and rights groups warned that handing him over would establish a precedent that chills free speech and political organizing.

The Spanish party Podemos urged the government not to cooperate, saying it “can’t collaborate with Trump in the persecution of solidarity with Palestine.”