FBI murder suspect found after car crash in Scotland

A fugitive American murder suspect was facing extradition to Florida last night after being arrested by Scottish police investigating a fatal road crash.

Phillip Harkins, 24, is wanted by the FBI over the shooting of a 22-year-old man in Florida in 1999. Last month, after nearly three years on the run, the car he was driving crashed into a taxi in Greenock, near Glasgow. A passenger in the taxi, Jean Lindsay, 62, was killed and the 41-year-old taxi driver, another female passenger and Mr Harkins were taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital suffering from multiple injuries. Mr Harkins was arrested on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for Strathclyde police said: "A 24-year-old man was arrested on a warrant at Greenock police station and he has been transferred to the Metropolitan Police who are dealing with the matter." Mr Harkins appeared before Bow Street magistrates' court and was remanded in custody until 12 February.

The hunt for Mr Harkins was launched after the body of Joshua Hayes was found near a public boat ramp in Oak Harbour, Jacksonville. Neighbours had reported hearing a single shot. Police said he had been shot once in the head at close range by a high-powered rifle during an attempted robbery.

The Office of Statewide Intelligence, which specialises in cases of violent crime and drug trafficking across the United States, was called in. Four days later, Mr Harkins, 20 at the time, was arrested and charged with murder. An alleged accomplice, Terry Terrell Glover, 17, was also arrested and charged with being an accessory.

But Harkins was released from police custody in mysterious circumstances and failed to attend further court hearings in the United States. In July last year, the American TV channel Fox News aired an appeal for information about the case in a segment on fugitives wanted on gun-related crimes, after pressure from the victim's family. The next day, police in Jacksonville received a telephone tip giving an address and e-mail address for Mr Harkins' relatives in Scotland.

During the next few months, various law enforcement and government agencies, including the US Department of Justice and the State Attorney's Office, prepared the paperwork needed for an extradition warrant to send to British authorities. An application for an arrest warrant was sent to the authorities in Washington DC on 24 September and by 16 January the FBI had identified an address for Mr Harkins. Two days later an arrest warrant was obtained in Britain but police found he had moved.

Sharon Gogerty, a police spokeswoman in Jacksonville said: "Harkins appeared on TV as part of our THUGS [Taking Hoodlums Using Guns Seriously] programme and was identified from that a day later. Extradition papers were drawn up over the next months and eventually he has been tracked down and arrested.

"It is a great result, because this man is a habitual offender. This shows how well British and American police forces can work together."