First it was Osama that got away…

…now, apparently, evil genius Bobby Fischer follows suit.

A parliamentary committee has voted to grant citizenship to fugitive U.S. chess star Bobby Fischer, putting the issue up for a vote by all legislators. [...]

Fischer, 62, has been detained in Japan awaiting deportation to the United States, where he is wanted for violating economic sanctions against the former Yugoslavia by playing a highly publicized chess match there in 1992.

One of Fischer’s supporters in Iceland said the Japanese government had confirmed it would allow him to go to Iceland if citizenship was granted.

“This is great news,” said Fischer supporter Saemundur Palsson. “They had been waiting on confirmation from Japan that Fischer would be let go if he had Icelandic citizenship. This arrived to me this morning.”

There is widespread support for Fischer in Iceland, where he played the Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky in a world championship match in 1972.

Evidently, Fischer retained sufficient of his awesome mental powers to bend the collective will of the parliamentary committee…from a holding cell in Tokyo, no less! Once unleashed on Icelandic soil, he will remain forever beyond America’s reach, unless George Bush dispatches an occu-liberation force to topple the despotic Halldor Asgrimsson and his toadying Cabinet, and imprison or disperse the Fischer-influenced and barbarously-named Althingi. Then, and only then, can Fischer be delivered to American justice.

Iceland will have to rebuilt, of course. But by this time, we should be really good at that.

UPDATE: The Althingi has spoken! Fischer will be granted Icelandic citizenship.

Iceland’s parliament has voted to grant citizenship to fugitive U.S. chess star Bobby Fischer.

The legislation, passed Monday with 40 lawmakers voting “aye” and two abstaining following a brief debate, became law immediately.

“I am very pleased with this, and I think that the dignity of the parliament has increased,” Fischer’s supporter Saemundur Palsson said, adding that Fischer would be informed Tuesday morning Japanese time.

“I hope that he will stop cursing the Americans now. It has gotten him into so much trouble,” Palsson told reporters.