Rhode Island man who faked death to evade rape charges arrested in UK

Scotland police on Thursday said that a Rhode Island man who faked his death and fled the U.S. to avoid criminal prosecution has been arrested after skipping his court date.

Authorities said that Nicholas Alahverdian, 34, was apprehended in Glasgow after a warrant for his arrest was issued earlier on Thursday. He is due in court on Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Alahverdian was charged in connection to a rape that happened in Utah in 2008. Utah County Attorney David Leavitt’s office declined to comment to the AP about extradition proceedings but applauded Scotland police for their efforts.

“We again express our gratitude to the law enforcement agencies for their diligent efforts in this matter to bring this individual to justice,” Leavitt reportedly said in a statement.

It is unclear if Alahverdian has a lawyer at this time, AP reported.

The 34-year-old was first found in a hospital receiving treatment for COVID-19 earlier this month under the alias Arthur Knight.

He was granted bail last week and is currently awaiting extradition to the U.S., local station WPRI-TV reported.