Equatorial Guinea opposition leader, Severo Moto (archive photo), is claiming to be the victim of an "outrageous frame-up" after being arrested and charged with arms-trafficking.

The exiled political agitator was arrested in Fuensalida (Toledo) yesterday after three weapons were found in the boot of an old car about to be boarded on a ship bound for Malabo at Sagunto port just outside Valencia on March 4th.

Coincidentally, the Spanish Supreme Court validated Mr Moto's political refugee status last month after ruling that it had not been proven that the principal opponent to the regime of Equatorial Guinea's current president, Teodoro Obiang, represents a threat to the security of Spain.

Severo Moto alleges Spanish assassination plot
By: thinkSPAIN
Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Equatorial Guinea opposition leader Severo Moto, who disappeared in March, has claimed in an interview with a Croatian newspaper that he is hiding in Zagreb because the Spanish secret service are planning to assassinate him.

"They asked my friends to tell me that it would be better for me to leave Spain to stop him being a barrier to good relations with Equatorial Guinea. When they saw that I wasn´t following their advice they started to openly threaten to kill me," he told a Globus correspondent.

"The Foreign Affairs minister said that he did not want any problems with president Obiang and that my case would be closed promptly," added Mr Moto, who set up an exiled government in Madrid and claims that Spain is keen to foster good diplomatic relations with its former colony, where it hopes to be given oil exploration rights.

The Spanish government expressed "great concern" over Mr Moto´s disappearance last month after he travelled to Croatia to meet business leaders.

"As opposition leader, I have become an obstacle for the dictator Obiang, and that is why they want to get rid of me. If they kill me now, the whole world will now who gave the execution order. The Spanish government cannot allow a scandal like this," warned Mr Moto, who is planning to return to Madrid in the next few days.

Mr Moto was convicted to serve a 62 year jail sentence by a court in Equatorial Guinea after he was found guilty of leading a failed coup d´état in March 2004.