Arrests England

A third victim of a blast at a gay pub in London died Saturday as police continued their search for neo-Nazis who have claimed responsibility for a spate of bombings. One suspect was detained after explosive material was found in his home. London was in a state of tense alert with a heavy police presence in subways, shopping areas and ethnic neighborhoods.

Inspiration came to Marco Antonio de la Parra, a Chilean playwright and psychiatrist, in March, when the idea of former dictator Augusto Pinochet behind bars was beyond the imagination even of Latin America's literary masters. It was the day of pomp and riots when Pinochet retired, exchanging his general's sword for the sash of a senator-for-life.

Lawyers for Gen. Augusto Pinochet are seeking to overturn the ruling against the former Chilean dictator, apparently on grounds that the wife of one of the judges works for Amnesty International, the Guardian newspaper reported Saturday. The five-member Law Lords, Britain's highest court, ruled last month that Pinochet does not have immunity from arrest, meaning that he must remain in custody while Spain seeks his extradition for killings and torture during his 17-year reign.

To be sure, former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet wishes he had never decided to vacation in London this year, and other former despots are seeking warmer climes after a verdict by Britain's highest court that heads of state may be tried for crimes such as torture and genocide. However, legal experts say the impact of last week's ruling by a House of Lords tribunal reaches far beyond Pinochet and Britain's borders.

As diplomatic and legal fights raged in three nations Monday over former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, Chileans reacted to Britain's sudden arrest of their once-untouchable tyrant with all the fury and political conflict that are his legacy. There was little sympathy among the many who suffered the ruthlessness of the dictatorship.

Spain's top crime-busting judge prepared documents Sunday to try to convince authorities in Spain and Britain that Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet should be extradited to Spain to face trial on charges of murder. High Court Justice Baltasar Garzon, whose successful request to have Pinochet arrested in London for possible extradition has rocked the international community, first must convince Spanish judicial authorities that he has enough proof to try Pinochet.

The arrest of former dictator Augusto Pinochet of Chile in London dramatizes a curious paradox: Although South America's former tyrants and torturers have been largely shielded from prosecution at home, they are increasingly under investigation around the world for crimes committed more than 20 years ago.

Former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who has never faced judge nor jury about the thousands of people who died or disappeared during his 17-year reign of terror, was under arrest in a London medical clinic Saturday after a request from Spain for his extradition.

British police mounted an anti-terrorist operation in London and arrested seven men believed to be linked to militant Islamic groups, security sources said. The domestic Press Assn. news agency said the men were linked to fugitive Saudi financier Osama bin Laden, whom Washington accuses of masterminding the Aug. 7 bomb attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Frederick Johnston, a U.S. businessman accused of plotting to kill five people in a dispute over control of his former company in Orange, was ordered held without bail for four weeks Thursday by a British court. Johnston, who once controlled electronics manufacturer Statek Corp., was arrested last week by London police on charges he conspired to kill three American lawyers and two Swiss executives. The 71-year-old Johnston, looking frail and walking with a cane, is due back in court May 28.