US authorities have arrested a former special forces soldier and his son for allegedly helping ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn flee Japan last December.
Carlos Ghosn fled from Japan to Lebanon in December
Former Green Beret Michael Taylor, 59, and his son Peter, 26, were detained in Massachusetts on Wednesday.
Japanese prosecutors issued warrants for their arrest in January.
Mr Ghosn, who was detained in Japan on charges of financial misconduct in 2018, made a dramatic escape from house arrest last year.
He denies the charges against him.
Despite being monitored 24 hours a day, on 29 December he managed to fly to Beirut, Lebanon, via Turkey.
Details of the Taylors’ alleged involvement in the escape are unclear. But Japanese prosecutors have said the two were in Japan at the time and helped Mr Ghosn evade security checks as he left.
Earlier this month prosecutors in Turkey charged seven people over the escape. The suspects – four pilots, two flight attendants, and an airline executive – are also accused of helping Mr Ghosn flee.
Full details of the escape have never been fully explained. Mr Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese nationalities, ran Renault and Nissan as part of a three-way car alliance.
He is accused of misreporting his compensation package, but has insisted he can never get a fair hearing in Japan.
Since his arrival in Lebanon, he has told reporters he was a “hostage” in Japan, where he was left with a choice between dying there or running.
