Warrant issued for Panettiere's arrest

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Officials in Japan issued a warrant for the arrest of "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere, in connection with her recent attempt to rescue dolphins from slaughter.

"I learned that they have an arrest warrant out for me in Japan," the 18-year-old actress told E! News. "We just found out."

Panettiere and a group of activists from the United States and Australia on Oct. 30 paddled out on surfboards to protest the killing of dolphins and whales by Japanese fishermen.

The activists were blocked by a fishing boat as they tried to get to a pod of dolphins before the fishermen did. The activists then went to shore and headed for the airport to keep from being arrested for trespassing.

"It was really frightening," Panettiere said at the time. "But in the end, all we really worried about was the dolphins."

The actress told E! News she would do it again and admitted she is pleased her experience is bringing so much attention to the animals.

"In this town, you tend to be able to get publicity when you're not wearing underwear or (you're) in rehab," Panettiere said. "I was very excited that people were interested in what we did."