Two people were arrested in the United States over accusation of being involved in the dramatic escape of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn from Japan. US authorities apprehended a former special force soldier and his son in Massachusetts with an arrest warrant issued by the Justice Department at Japan's request.
Former US Green Beret, 59-year-old Michael Taylor, and his son, 26-year-old Peter Taylor, were accused of aiding and abetting Ghosn's escape late last year. The two men reportedly helped the executive flee authorities in Japan and assisted in his travel to Lebanon. Ghosn fled from Japan to avoid a scheduled trail over his financial misconduct during his tenure with Nissan.
The two men were arrested by US marshals after authorities had discovered that they had booked a flight from Boston to Beirut with a layover in London. The US Justice Department originally obtained the arrest warrant for the Taylors on May 6; months after Japan submitted its request for the men's provisional arrest. Both men are scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Wednesday through an online video conference.
Ghosn, who fled Japan on December 29, has been staying in Lebanon since his escape. The country currently does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. While the Japanese government is still negotiating for Ghosn's arrest and extradition, authorities have issued several warrants of arrest for people implicated in the escape.
In January, Japan issued warrants for three people that allegedly facilitated in the escape. The third person implicated in the escape is 60-year-old American George Antoine Zayek. According to investigators, the Taylors and Zayek had met with Ghosn on several occasions while he was still in Japan. As part of his bail conditions, the meetings with the two men were all recorded.
The older Taylor reportedly met with Ghosn a day before his escape. Zayek and the younger Taylor allegedly booked a private jet from Dubai and flew it to Japan. The aircraft was reportedly filled with empty boxes for audio equipment with the two men posing as musicians. They then met with Ghosn and the older Taylor at his hotel room in Osaka, where they then hid the executive inside one of the boxes. Ghosn and his accomplices reportedly used a series of bullet trains, cars, and private jets to help him travel to his childhood home in Lebanon.
Apart from the warrants for the three Americans, Japan has also managed to convince the Turkish government to prepare indictments for seven other people. The suspects, who include four pilots and two flight attendants, are accused of helping Ghosn travel from Istanbul to Lebanon.
