UK court: Arrested man is US fugitive wanted on rape claim

LONDON (AP) — A judge in Scotland says a man who has spent almost a year fighting extradition to the United States is Nicholas Rossi, a fugitive alleged to have faked his own death to escape rape allegations. The suspect was arrested in December 2021 at a Glasgow hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19. He denies being Rossi and says he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight. After seeing evidence including fingerprints and tattoos, judge Norman McFadyen told Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday he was satisfied “that Mr. Knight is indeed Nicholas Rossi.” U.S. authorities say Rossi has been charged in connection with a 2008 rape in Utah. A full extradition hearing is likely to be held next year.