Carlos Ghosn smuggled out of Japan in a box on private jet: Report
American operatives started planning his escape more than three months in advance
Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn was reportedly smuggled out of Japan in a big black box loaded on to a private jet in an operation overseen by two U.S. security experts.
Ghosn snuck onto a bullet train to race from his surveilled home in Tokyo to the international airport in Osaka, a distance of roughly 300 miles, on Dec. 29, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. He ended up in Lebanon, where it's unlikely he'll face extradition.
GHOSN SNUCK ONTO BULLET TRAIN IN DARING ESCAPE FROM JAPAN
Ghosn had help from two American operatives, including ex-Green Beret Michael L. Taylor, according to The Journal. They started planning his escape more than three months in advance and pinpointed a big gap in airport security.
The airport's scanners were too small for oversized luggage, and its private jet terminal was empty much of the time, according to The Journal. Ghosn was smuggled out in a box with breathing holes on the bottom. It was made to look like it was holding concert equipment.
Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, right, and his wife Carole in Tokyo. (Kyodo News via AP, File)
Ghosn, who is of Lebanese heritage, was arrested in November 2018 on financial misconduct charges of under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust. He was out on bail in Japan – and was supposedly being watched closely – when he fled the country.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Investigators probing the getaway took seven people into custody on Thursday, though it wasn’t immediately clear if charges were filed. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Japan, which does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon, announced the procurement of Ghosn’s Red Notice that same day.
A Red Notice is a "be-on-the-lookout"-type memo issued by Interpol – the International Criminal Police Organization – to its nearly 200 member countries asking that the wanted person be extradited to the country from which he or she is a fugitive.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
The Associated Press and FOX Business' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.