Extradition of rape suspect accused of faking own death approved by Scottish ministers

The extradition order of a rape suspect accused of faking his own death to the US has been approved by Scottish ministers.

Nicholas Rossi, who claims he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, has been at the centre of a long-running extradition battle in Edinburgh.

American law enforcement officials say he is a fugitive who fled to the UK to evade justice.

But Rossi, 35, claims he is the victim of a “stitch-up” by UK and US authorities.

A court ruling in August that he should return to the US to face serious sex charges – now rubber-stamped by the Scottish government – means he can be moved to the US, where he is wanted by authorities in Utah for the alleged rape of a woman in 2008.

Rossi also faces a number of complaints for alleged domestic violence in Rhode Island.

An international game of hide and seek ended when Rossi was tracked down via an Interpol red notice while unconscious in a COVID hospital ward in Glasgow in 2021.

He was arrested after his tattoos and fingerprints were matched to documents held by the National Crime Agency.

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Rossi claimed the tattoos were imprinted on his body while he was in a coma fighting coronavirus – a suggestion branded “scandalous” by a Scottish sheriff.

Expert witnesses have also disproved claims that he suffers various medical conditions.

He has repeatedly attended court in a wheelchair with an oxygen bottle – but a doctor said his legs are “strong and athletic”.

‘Dishonest and deceitful’

A Scottish court ruled in November last year that he was the suspect American officials have been trying to track down.

But Rossi has deliberately delayed extradition proceedings by claiming he is the victim of mistaken identity.

His legal bill – costing tens of thousands of pounds – is being paid for by taxpayers.

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In August, the court said there was no impediment to the 35-year-old being extradited and the decision was then placed before Scottish ministers.

Sheriff Norman McFayden said Rossi – who converted to Judaism while in HMP Edinburgh, where he has been held since 2022 – was “as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative”.

His deceitfulness had “undoubtedly complicated and extended what is ultimately a straightforward case”, the Sheriff said.

The Scottish Government confirmed under Freedom of Information legislation on Thursday that his extradition order had been signed.

A statement said: “The Scottish ministers have made their decision regarding Mr Nicholas Rossi and signed an extradition order on 28 September, 2023.”

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