Navy resumes bombing exercises on Vieques

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico (AP) -- The U.S. Navy resumed military exercises at its prized range on Vieques island Friday, dropping inert 500-pound bombs in defiance of protesters who reported cutting through fences and breaching the zone by boat.

Through the night, federal marshals and Navy guards scoured the firing range on the outlying Puerto Rican island, but arrested only five people. Other activists may be in the restricted area, but the firing range itself is free of protesters, Navy spokesman Lt. Corey Barker said before the exercises began.

Those arrested will be prosecuted for trespassing on federal land, the Navy said.

A day earlier, a federal judge turned down a last-minute complaint by the Puerto Rican government aimed at blocking the naval maneuvers.