Current:Home > NewsSuspected American fugitive who allegedly faked death insists he is Irish orphan in bizarre interview-InfoLens
Suspected American fugitive who allegedly faked death insists he is Irish orphan in bizarre interview
View Date:2024-12-23 15:19:44
A man believed to be Nicholas Alahverdian, a U.S. citizen who allegedly faked his own death to escape rape allegations, insisted he is instead an Irish-born orphan named Arthur Knight during a recent interview in Scotland that has gone viral.
On April 21, NBC's "Dateline" aired the interview in an episode about the case. Alahverdian, 35, was charged in connection with a 2008 rape in Utah.
Officials say Alahverdian, who also goes by the alias Nicholas Rossi, has spent more than a year fighting extradition to the United States from Scotland after he was arrested on rape charges in December 2021 at a Glasgow hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19. Authorities identified him through fingerprints and tattoos.
The man vehemently denied being Alahverdian to police and says he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who has never been to the U.S.
A clip of the interview with "Dateline" correspondent Andrea Canning recently went viral. Sitting alongside his wife, Miranda Knight, the man insists he is a victim of mistaken identity.
"We were once a normal family, but thanks to the media our lives have been interrupted," he says, gasping into an oxygen mask in a strange accent. "And we'd like privacy and I would like to go back to being a normal husband, but I can't because I can't breathe, I can't walk. People say that's an act. Let me try and stand up…"
Then, in a bizarre move, he tries to prove he is not faking his disability by dramatically attempting to stand up, flailing around before being caught by his wife, as he says: "Exactly, exactly,"
When asked if he was lying about his current identity, he exclaims: "I am not Nicholas Alahverdian! I do not know how to make this clearer!"
In addition to his pending Utah rape charge, authorities in Rhode Island have said Alahverdian is also wanted in their state for failing to register as a sex offender. The FBI has said he also faces fraud charges in Ohio, where he was convicted of sex-related charges in 2008.
Alahverdian was born in Rhode Island and after a tumultuous childhood he became an outspoken critic of Rhode Island's Department of Children, Youth and Families, reported The Providence Journal. He testified before state lawmakers about being sexually abused and tortured while in foster care.
Then in 2020, he told local media he had late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had weeks to live. An obituary published online claimed he died on Feb. 29, 2020.
But by last year, Rhode Island state police, Alahverdian's former lawyer and former foster family were publicly doubting whether he actually died.
Since his arrest in Scotland, the suspect has made several court appearances and fired at least six lawyers — all while insisting he isn't Nicholas Rossi. He is, he says, Arthur Knight.
- In:
- Scotland
- Ireland
veryGood! (85495)
Related
- Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
- Prosecutor failed to show that Musk’s $1M-a-day sweepstakes was an illegal lottery, judge says
- Dave Coulier Says He's OK If This Is the End Amid Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Battle
- Volunteer firefighter accused of setting brush fire on Long Island
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- Arbitrator upholds 5-year bans of Bad Bunny baseball agency leaders, cuts agent penalty to 3 years
- Oklahoma school district adding anti-harassment policies after nonbinary teen’s death
- John Krasinski is People's Sexiest Man Alive. What that says about us.
- US wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Nicky Hilton Shares Her Christmas Plans With Paris, the Secret To Perfect Skin & More Holiday Gift Picks
Ranking
- The charming Russian scene-stealers of 'Anora' are also real-life best friends
- Congress is revisiting UFOs: Here's what's happened since last hearing on extraterrestrials
- Federal judge denies request to block measure revoking Arkansas casino license
- Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani wins reelection to Arizona US House seat
- The ancient practice of tai chi is more popular than ever. Why?
- US Diplomats Notch a Win on Climate Super Pollutants With Help From the Private Sector
- 'Cowboy Carter' collaborators to be first country artists to perform at Rolling Loud
- Judge sets date for 9/11 defendants to enter pleas, deepening battle over court’s independence
Recommendation
-
John Krasinski named People magazine’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive
-
Kathy Bates likes 'not having breasts' after her cancer battle: 'They were like 10 pounds'
-
Oklahoma school district adding anti-harassment policies after nonbinary teen’s death
-
‘COP Fatigue’: Experts Warn That Size and Spectacle of Global Climate Summit Is Hindering Progress
-
California voters reject proposed ban on forced prison labor in any form
-
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas says he was detained in airport over being ‘disoriented’
-
Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 With Jenna Ortega, So Prepare to Have a Monster Ball
-
Cold case arrest: Florida man being held in decades-old Massachusetts double murder