Customs officials said Nai Yin Xue would be removed from the US and not face extradition hearings.

Mr Xue was detained by members of the public in Atlanta, Georgia, who recognised him as the wanted fugitive.

His daughter, Qian Xun Xue, three, was found in a station in Melbourne and nicknamed "Pumpkin" after her clothing.

The body of Mr Xue's wife, Anan Liu, was found in Auckland four days later, on 19 September.

Qian later went to live with her grandmother in China.

Expired visa

Pat Reilly, a spokeswoman for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, said its officials would accompany Mr Xue back to New Zealand, though no date was given.

"He doesn't have status here is my understanding," Ms Reilly told Associated Press news agency.

She said Mr Xue had entered the US on a 90-day, waived visa that expired in December.

Atlanta police said Mr Xue was apprehended by members of the local Chinese-American community, after they recognised him from pictures in the media.

Police say a group of six people restrained him by tying his hands behind his back and binding his ankles with his trousers to stop him escaping.

"Neither the suspect nor the six people spoke English," Chamblee police chief Marc Johnson, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

"They actually handed the [arresting] officer a copy of the article [about Mr Xue] and pointed to the picture and pointed to him," he said.

Authorities believe Mr Xue, a Chinese-language magazine publisher, had been in the area for about a month.

The case received widespread coverage after Mr Xue's daughter was found alone and crying at the bottom of escalators at the train station.

Security cameras captured the moment she was abandoned by her father, who then flew to Los Angeles.

The body of Mr Xue's 27-year-old wife was found in his car outside the couple's home in Auckland, New Zealand, four days after he left for Australia.

(BBC)

<< Back