this is bbc news. the headlines — a powerful earthquake has killed more than 1,000 people in morocco, according to state tv, and injured hundreds more. the quake struck around 45 miles south of marrakesh. hospitals in the region have seen an influx of patients and are appealing for blood donations. police have arrested a former british soldier suspected of terror offences who escaped from a london prison four days ago. 21—year—old daniel khalife was caught in chiswick, west london, after sightings in the area. world leaders are meeting at the 620 summit in delhi, where the african union has been invited to join the group as a permanent member. british prime minister rishi sunak has been holding talks with his indian counterpart, narendra modi, with a potential bilateral trade deal on the cards.

now on bbc news, unmasking a fugitive. radio: local news and information on wpro, providence. _ nicholas ala hverdian. he grew up in foster care here, here in rhode island. he has passed away from a long battle with cancer. nicholas alahverdian was 32. can't say this enough, how bizarre this next story is. yeah, as we've been telling you, . authorities say a rhode island man faked his own death and then hid out in scotland. _ nicholas rossi has gone by a variety of names over the years, one being nicholas alahverdian. he told me, "he is a dangerous man. "he's wanted in numerous states." then later on, i find out that he's alive. i said, "i don't believe it." i was like, "wow." ia court in scotland has ruled thati

a man who claimed he was a victim of mistaken identity is the suspect in a series of sex crimes _ in the united states. mr rossi. i'm not mr rossi at all. ok, then. that's not arthur knight. and you were always absolutely certain it was him? 100%. i was the whistle blower. can you get out of the way? give him a bit of assistance... i've known nick 22 years. i know him better than anybody. do you at this moment in time still claim you're arthur knight? organ plays i'm born and raised in rhode island.

i've been a priest 27 years. i am kind of a known entity as the spokesman for the catholic church at the state house. that was where you first came into contact with nicholas alahverdian? yes, so nicholas was a page. my interaction with him over those years was to say, "hello, how are you?" that's about it. church choir sings. the next was, it was reported in the news media here that he had died. and i remembered him. and then i would say it was a few months after that story came out that i received a phone call. she said her name was, i believe, louise, that she was nicholas's wife... bells ring ..that he had died... ..and would i ever consider having a mass in his memory? and then as i was reflecting

on that, i received a phone call from a detective in the rhode island state police who said, "father, i understand that you're having a memorial mass "for nicholas ala hverdian. he isn't really dead. he's faked his own death." also asked the detective, i said, "well, his wife, widow, "called me." he said, "well, that's not the widow. "that was actually him." the priest wasn't the only one getting calls. i ended up getting contacted by his so—called wife, so... do you think it was a genuine woman on the other end of the phone? to the best of my knowledge, it was... ..it was a woman. it was a woman. accent? english. and she would just basically go on about the memorial service and tell me how much nicholas loved me, and that's all he ever talked about. and whoever this person was knew a lot about me.

nicholas alahverdian was born in 1987 in the state of rhode island. one of three children, his mother, diana, divorced his father, jack, in 1990. in 1996, she remarried, this time to a part—time engelbert humperdinck impersonator called david rossi. michael, just tell me your relationship with nicholas. nicholas is my nephew. he's my brotherjack's son. it was tough when my brother and his wife at the time divorced. i had no contact with any of them for many, many years. so, like, 15 years, i guess. where does "rossi" come from? rossi is the stepfather's name. he adopted nicholas and nicholas' siblings. the regret is that myself, my family, were never contacted when he was put into dcyf care.

whatever has happened to him and the type of person he has changed into could have been avoided by simply saying, "hey, do you want to take these children in?" and i would have. and i think things would have changed. as a young teenager, he was staying in different shelters and group homes run by the dcyf — the department of children, youth and families... ..a state—run agency responsible for child welfare. during the day, he volunteered at the state house. at the time, brian coogan was a local politician. well, he kind of weaselled his way into... ..into yourface, like, "hey, i'm nick alahverdian. "you know, i'm in dcyf custody," he would tell us. he would come with these bruises and scrapes and cuts on him,

you know, whether it's face, or he would lift up his shirt, show us his arm, he'd have cuts. and one time he showed his side, you know, he said one kid tried to stab him. i get a phone call from him one day. he's down the courthouse, that he had to see the chief judge, jeremiahjeremiah. he called me very frantic, very upset. "can you come down here and adopt me? "the state of rhode island's trying to get rid of me because i'm exposing dcyf." and i was like, "whoa, i don't even know what you're talking about, but let's go see the chiefjudge. we'll work it all out." the judge leans in. it was at his desk. he goes, "rep, what are you really here for? you're really not going to adopt this kid, are you?" i said, "yeah, we'll take him." he goes, "i can't let you adopt him." and i said, "why not?" and the judge said, "you really don't know what's going on, do you?" isaid, "no." he said, "this kid is a very, very troubled kid." to begin with, his experience of the care system was limited to his home state of rhode island.

but later, nicholas was moved to out—of—state facilities, firstly in nebraska, in the us midwest, and then to florida. he was sent from place to place, from state to state. he was physically abused, mentally abused. um, went through some beatings and tough times, just tough times in general. these are the stories that he told me later. do you believe them? i do. in 2011, nicholas alahverdian attempted to sue all those he says were involved in his care. he came back with a vengeance. he started suing the state of rhode island, the governor, the speaker of the house... ..in federal court. every day you were beaten? every day in florida, . every day in nebraska, every day in rhode island. this is 12 news now at six. target 12 investigator tim white is here now

with the latest developments. we did a lot of reporting on his multiple lawsuits... nicholas alahverdian of rhode island... he alleged physical abuse. he alleged sexual abuse, and, of course, made the claim that the liability fell on the agency for not properly protecting him. again, the agency denied that. they said they followed all the proper protocols but in the end decided to reach a settlement with the plaintiff, with nicholas alahverdian, to put it to bed. i was sent out of state... the lawsuit brought money, but also a degree of fame. the pageboy who grew up in state care returning to the state house as a child welfare campaigner. ..that these facilities are dangerous. - she says, "i'll confirm december third." so you're going to win on tuesday? of course. a cop by trade, ray hull is a state politician who worked closely with nicholas ala hverdian. he was the type of individual that, when he got ahold of you,

he stayed with you, much like a pit bull. a lot of pit bulls, you know, they lock onto you and they don't let go. you say he was tenacious. did you ever see a temper? yeah, yeah, yeah. and ijust attributed it to his advocacy. nicholas on recording: don't yell at me. i didn't do anything! woman: i'm not yelling at you. yeah, you are! i met nick at church. i had recentlyjust converted to the latter day saint church. let me see your phone, please. kathryn mumbles. why are you treating me this way? and how did your relationship develop from there? it developed very quickly. we were sitting on the couch watching tv and he just turns to me and says, "we should get married." "what?" like, we've only known each other

for about six months. give me your phone. he screams: stop ignoring me! i knew this was rushed. he broke me down and we got married without telling anybody. and that was the next day where he first hit me, right after we were married. nicholas married kathryn heckendorn in dayton, ohio, a place he knew. after leaving care, he'd lived there for a while with his foster parents. the marriage lasted seven months. how bad did things get for you? he liked things his way... ..and if he didn't get his way, he would... ..have a temper, get violent, even with strangers. always threatening, like, lawsuits, or, "do you know who i am? you know what i can do to you?" and...

..yeah, his voice, when he would get angry, it will always. . .stay with me. a month into their marriage, nicholas was arrested for domestic violence. the following year, a court granted kathryn a divorce, the judge accusing her husband of gross neglect of duty and cruelty. out! let me out! well, the recording helped a lot in court. and also the fact that nick never showed up. the divorce itself took well over a year. they never knew where to serve him cos he had fled. did you have any sense of his past life and what he'd done? i slowly figured stuff out. it wasn't until after we were married he told me that he was a registered sex offender. i start talking to this detective after nick was arrested. he told me, "he is a dangerous man. "he's wanted in numerous states."

so i actually met nicholas rossi in 2008. we met on myspace. he messaged me. mary was still a teenager when she met nicholas for lunch on this college campus in dayton. afterwards, he offered to walk her to class. he was almost like a dr jekyll—mr hyde kind of type. he just... he keeps trying to kiss me and i'm not into it. during that point, somebody comes down into the stairway and they see him on top of me. i went to the police and i filed a complaint. he did get found guilty of public indecency and a sexual imposition charge. there was a fine.

there was some jail time, but it was suspended. and then he had to register as a sex offender for 15 years. what happened on that college campus in january 2008 would have lasting implications. a man suspected in a sexual assault case in utah years ago _ is now in police custody in scotland tonight... . the evidence gathered when rossi assaulted mary would provide a breakthrough for prosecutors investigating an alleged rape in the state of utah. this case sat cold in utah from 2008 until about 2019, when we entered the evidence from a rape kit that had sat on the shelf into the database. and that allowed us to get a hit on a man named nicholas rossi. nicholas rossi has gone by a variety of names over the years, one being nicholas alahverdian. now, according to... rossi's utah connections are explained by his foster parents' faith.

salt lake city is the headquarters of the mormon church. the allegation is that in september 2008, nine months after the sinclair college assault, he attacked a former girlfriend. as the authorities in utah were pulling the case against rossi together, back in rhode island, phones were starting to ring. "rep, how are you?" i said, "how are you, nicholas?" "i'm in france," or europe somewhere. i think he said france first. i said, "what's going on?" "well, i had to leave the country." i get another call. he's still in europe. he's ill now at this point. maybe two weeks after that, he's really ill. and he... this is the last time i spoke to him. "it's nick." i said, "yeah, i know, nick, it's you." but he has a raspy voice. he goes, "i'm dying. i'm dying." i said, "nick, you're not dying. cockroaches don't die." radio: local news and information

on wpro, providence. _ nicholas alahverdian, he grew up in foster care here, here in rhode island. he has passed away from a long battle with cancer. nicholas alahverdian was 32. an obituary that appeared online claimed nicholas alahverdian had been cremated and his ashes scattered at sea. his final words... at first i was happy. and then i was angry, very angry that he was never held accountable. and then... ..i laughed because all within a second i feel all this. and i'm like, "he's not dead." michael alahverdian had no reason to doubt his nephew was dead until the day he buried his brother jack. i go to his funeral, bury him. i get home, and on the news is that nicholas was found alive.

and i'm like, "wait a minute, is this a dream or a nightmare?" these two things happening together, same day. proceed. then later on, ifind out nick is alive. he's in glasgow. is that right? i said, "i don't believe it." i was like, "wow." this is the man the american authorities want to extradite to face the allegations in utah. i just... yeah. i'll be here and i can hold you.

just don't fall over. he says he needs the wheelchair and the oxygen tank as he recovers from covid. so i have to hold his full weight. right. do you see? yeah, we see. don't. .. he pants. arthur knight was arrested in december 2021 in a glasgow hospital ward. stop! please stop! stop it! the courthouse theatrics were a feature of the months that followed. he took every opportunity to tell anyone who'd listen he was an innocent victim of mistaken identity. we need to address what happened in court today. it violates the... i'm the one asking the questions. mr rossi! i'm not mr rossi at all. ok, then. your oxygen mask is not connected.

tell me a little bit about your background, arthur. he tells me he's an orphan who escaped the irish care system and sold books in piccadilly circus. marriage to miranda came in 2020... we got married in bristol. ..a decade after they first met, he claims. and while there's no birth certificate among his pile of documents, there is a wedding certificate accompanied by a special marriage license from the archbishop of canterbury. i'm not nicholas rossi. the couple say they moved to glasgow after leaving bristol in 2021. the us authorities say that the story that you've just told me is a load of rubbish

and that you're nicholas rossi. the truth, according to the us authorities, is that nicholas rossi left america in 2017 and flew initially to dublin. police records show that in the period leading up to his departure, he was being investigated for id theft and credit card fraud worth $200,000 after his foster parents accused him of betraying them in the worst possible way. injune that year, he's in england. these photos were taken during a brief relationship that began online and ended with alleged behaviour that led essex police to investigate a rape claim. are you a rapist? 11 months after his arrest

and facing a second rape allegation in utah, an edinburgh sheriff was asked to settle the question of identity. in their evidence, the hospital staff that treated arthur knight for covid said they recognised him from the interpol wanted notice issued for nicholas rossi. it included mug shots taken by a rhode island police force who'd been frequent callers to his apartment around 2010. the photographs from pawtucket also included images of rossi's distinctive tattoos. we heard in court, though, that you were identified by tattoos. is it worth seeing your left forearm? yeah, yeah, but could i...? could i..? i mean, could you just raise up...? and alsojust looking at the oxygen, and we're getting a little bit low as well. taking the oath as arthur knight, he told the court he'd woken from a coma to discover that tattoos had suddenly appeared on his body. he said his fingerprints matched

rossi's because an nhs worker had illegally passed them to the prosecutor in utah. the sheriff said those claims were implausible and fanciful. i am ultimately satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, by the evidence of fingerprint, photographic, and tattoo evidence taken together, supported by the evidence of changes of name, that mr knight is indeed nicholas rossi, the person sought for extradition by the united states. and you were always absolutely certain it was him? 100%. i was the whistle blower. i've known nick 22 years. i know him better than anybody. if you show me that one, if that's ok? kathryn: it's frustrating - that he still continues to deny he's nicholas rossi—ala hverdian. if he's still pulling that charade, he's the dumb one. there was one picture i saw, he's in red silky pyjamas. those were the same pyjamas he wore

when i was with him. you think those were the exact same? the exact... i don't think, i know those were the exact same pjs. do you at this moment in time. still claim you're arthur knight? goodbye and thank you. the months that followed were just as surreal, with rossi held on remand in edinburgh. the utah prosecutor he accused of orchestrating a conspiracy against him bought a castle on the banks of a scottish loch. i charged him with rape after he faked his death, and i did that knowing that i was not charging a dead man. i don't have any ill will towards nicholas rossi. nicholas rossi was a victim of crimes against him before he was a criminal himself. nicholas rossi is the subject of such media attention not because of the crime he committed, but because of the outrageous ways in which he has sought to avoid responsibility for those crimes.

steven, steven... no, no. nicholas rossi has gotten off for decades with this kind of behaviour. the message in this case is very much a message to nicholas rossi himself, and that is, there is nothing that you can do that's going to keep us from coming after you. reporter: this is the first time you've never said anything. - can you guys make way? guys, you need to make room to get him onto the ramp. when the extradition hearing resumed, there were more denials and more attempts at delay. rossi, himself dressed in lawyer's robes, looked on... mr rossi! when the ruling came, his arguments hadn't convinced the sheriff. i conclude that he is as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative. those unfortunate facets of his character have undoubtedly complicated and extended what is ultimately a straightforward case. it follows that i must send

the case of the requested person, nicholas rossi, to the scottish ministers for their decision whether he is to be extradited. court will adjourn. any comment, mr rossi? mr rossi, do you accept you lied? nicholas rossi faces serious charges in the united states. this story still has some way to go, but the scottish chapter is edging closer to the end. how does it feel to have been deceived? it hurts. yeah, it hurt. it hurts that someone that supposedly loves you and cares about you will... ..you know, just go out there and deceive you. like, nick is here in america, but then he's in utah, and then he's in the uk, then he's back in america, then he's back in rhode island, then he's in utah, and then he's in dayton, ohio. he's a jellyfish. he's spineless. he's got long tentacles. and that's what he reminds me of, so when i speak, it'sjust the truth. it's good to know he's not out

there hurting someone else... ..taking from someone else, because after... ..our divorce, and i left him, i had no idea where he went. and i told my mum, "that's a type of person. this isn't his first time and he's not going to stop." i wonder... ..like, who else is he going to hurt? and i think i've carried some guilt with that. um...

hello, if like me, you're finding it too hot and humid, relief is on the way, but not for most of us until after the weekend. it stays very warm, very muggy, there will be thundery showers and there are warnings from the met office. more details on our website. but again, we'll have another day with temperatures exceeding 30 celsius. so again, the record is broken. today looks like it might well be the hottest day of the year so far, just getting a little bit ahead of thursday's 32.6 celsius. widely warm, very warm, infact, and humid. temperatures not quite so high in the north and west purely because we have this weather front approaching, so more cloud, bringing rain into the western and northern isles, showers ahead of it. and this afternoon, because we have that mix of the heat, some home—grown downpours, torrential downpours continuing well into the evening. but quite well scattered.

it could just cause some flash flooding locally. and even though they will ease away for a time overnight, we have more moving in from the south, pushing into the south and west. and again, just increasing that humidity. so another really close night and uncomfortable sleeping, i should imagine, for quite a few. even further north, the humidity stays with us, that means for the great north run, not ideal conditions with the high humidity. the increasing chance of a thundery shower as well as those running into the afternoon. so take on lots of water, if you can. so the shower risk tomorrow perhaps further north than today. some torrential downpours, lots of lightning with those showers. and we have a weather front in the north and west. but in between, lots of sunshine, still very warm and humid. so temperatures might not be quite widely as high as today, but still humid and muggy. perhaps still in east anglia and the south east, 31, 32 degrees. through the evening and overnight,

thundery showers move northwards and eastwards, the weather front is on the move as well, and it's behind that weather front where it is a little bit less humid, a fresherfeel for the north and west of scotland. and as we move through the course of monday and tuesday, i'm hopeful about the end of tuesday, that we will start to feel that slightly fresher air reaching southern and eastern areas. then we're back to business as usual, a more unsettled looking picture.

all live from london, this is bbc news. rescue services dig for survivors, after a powerful earthquake in morocco kills more than a thousand people, with hundreds more injured. escaped prisoner daniel khalife is arrested by police in london, following a four—day search. i'm rajini vaidyanathan live from chiswick, in london, where escaped prisoner daniel khalife was arrested and world leaders at the g20 summit in delhi issue a joint declaration calling on all states to refrain from the threat or use of force. hello, i'm vishala sri—pathma. we start in morocco, where state tv says more than one thousand people have been killed in the earthquake that struck late on friday night.