US charges Taylor’s son

A son of Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president, has been charged with passport fraud and is in US custody, a spokeswoman for the US immigration service has said.

Charles Taylor was arrested as he tried to flee Nigeria

Charles McArthur Emmanuel, also known as Charles “Chuckie” Taylor Jr, was arrested at Miami International Airport on Thursday night after flying in from Trinidad, and was accused of lying about his father’s identity in a US passport application.
   
Emmanuel, 29, who was in charge of presidential security when his father ran Liberia, made an initial appearance in a Miami magistrates court on Friday, said Barbara Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami.
   
His next court appearance is on Wednesday.
   
Charles Taylor was captured last Tuesday near the border with Cameroon as he tried to flee Nigeria, where he had been living in exile. He was flown in handcuffs to Sierra Leone.
   
He was flown in handcuffs to Sierra Leone where he faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity before a UN-backed Special Court for violations that occurred during the country’s 1991-2002 civil war.
   
Taylor is likely to be transferred to a human rights court in the Netherlands because of fears his supporters may cause unrest in Sierra Leone and neighbouring Liberia.
   
The US criminal complaint against his son, Emmanuel, a US citizen because he was born in the United States, said he did not identify Taylor as his father when he sought a new US passport at the US consulate in Trinidad and Tobago’s capital, Port of Spain, this month.

Source: Reuters