REYKJAVIK, Dec 19 - Thor Magnusson founder of the Peace 2000 charity and who is known to the Icelandic people as Santa Claus for his Santa Peaceflights to war torn countries, is being summoned foran a Reykjavik District Court Judge today to hear a Charge filed by the State Police demanding a three year jail sentence over the peace activist and former Icelandic presidential candidate.

The Peace 2000 leader was arrested 22 November for an e-mail warning that Icelandic passenger planes are being exposed as targets and to terrorist activity following an agreement by the government with NATO to strengthen its military capability by placing Icelandair and Air Atlanta passenger aircraft on standby to transport weapons and troops, even as early war is waged on Iraq. The arrest and the shift of policy from a nation of peace with ancient democratic tradition and no military services to a wish to participate in military agression has been protested by thousands of scholars, peace activists and organizations from around the world resulting in Icelandic government offices blocking email deliveries and Peace 2000 Internet access being shut off for several days.

Peace 2000 organized the first western flight through the no-fly zone to Baghdad flying Santa with almost 100,000 Christmas gifts, food and medical supplies to Iraq in Christmas 1997, under a special authorization of the UN
Security Council. The flight gained wide media attention and helped ignite demonstrations against a new Gulf war all over the world. International support of the US call to allied bombing broke down. Magnusson was honored
with the Holy Gold Cross by the Greek Orthodox Church at the nomination of UNESCO in Greece for his part in this, but in Iceland Peace 2000 faced the cold shoulder and persecution of authorities that arrested Santa's next
flight and cargo from the runway seconds before aircraft lift off for a second mission to Baghdad.