An Albanian triple murderer who was granted asylum in the UK while on the run for killing his wife and two brothers has been arrested in the United States. Sokol Hoxha, 50, used a fake identity to flee mainland Europe for Britain in 1997 after a killing spree in Belgium and Albania. The murderer pretended to be a Kosovan refugee, which allowed him to claim asylum and ultimately obtain British citizenship.
Arrest in Ohio
Hoxha eventually ended up in America, where he was arrested following a six-year manhunt covering two continents. A spokesman for the US Marshals Service said: 'The arrest of Hoxha marked the culmination of a six-year fugitive investigation led by Interpol Washington in coordination with numerous domestic and international law enforcement partners.' During the investigation, authorities determined that Hoxha assumed a fraudulent identity after fleeing Belgium and subsequently obtained citizenship in another European country under the alias. 'Hoxha later allegedly entered the US and obtained lawful permanent resident status while continuing to conceal his true identity.' The Albanian was the subject of two Interpol wanted notices and was finally stopped in Kettering, Ohio.
UK asylum and US flight
Britain granted asylum to Hoxha using his fake identity, as reported by The Telegraph. The killer then fled to the US in 2012 under his new alias, hiding his real identity for 14 years. The marshals' spokesman said: 'Hoxha's case serves as a powerful example of how sustained international law enforcement cooperation can overcome national boundaries, jurisdictional challenges, and decades of evasion to bring a convicted murderer to justice after nearly 30 years on the run.' It also reinforces a clear message that the US will not serve as a safe haven for criminal aliens or fugitives who fraudulently obtain immigration status or citizenship in an effort to evade accountability for serious crimes committed abroad.
Crimes and investigation
Hoxha murdered his wife after she refused to agree to his demands and become a prostitute. He was handed a 25-year jail sentence in absentia for the double murder of the brothers in Patos, Albania. Both the National Crime Agency and Home Office are believed to have been involved in the investigation, helping uncover his immigration status and location after the killer fled to the UK where he lived for at least 10 years.
Other Albanian fugitives
A string of Albanians have used fake names to gain British passports in recent years. Anvi Metra claimed to be Kosovan after allegedly serving as the henchman for a mafia-style gang that took over an isolated mountain community amid an orgy of bloodshed, plundering banks and businesses and even raping local women. He was handed a 25-year sentence for murder in his absence by a judge in Albania's capital, Tirana, in 2001, who branded him 'an enormous danger' to society. But Metra was granted asylum in the UK and given a passport with his false alias, before eventually being extradited to Albania.
Arsimi Murati also falsely claimed to be Kosovan and did not reveal he had served a long prison sentence for armed robbery back in Albania, on arrival in the UK. The Home Secretary tried to remove his citizenship but Murati's appeal bid was successful. Murderer Afrim Sinani, meanwhile, was handed a 20-year jail term before heading to the UK in 1998 and falsely claiming asylum as a Kosovan refugee under the name Afrim Pulaj. He was finally extradited to Albania in 2010 after a long legal battle. And former Albanian secret service chief Ilir Kumbaro fled to the UK using a false name after being sentenced in his absence to 15 years for kidnapping and torturing a businessman. He managed to gain a passport but disappeared while on extradition bail and has not been found to this day.
