A man arrested by French police on charges of killing a New York doctor who performed abortions was living in Ireland up to two weeks ago, according to gardaí.
A Garda spokesman told ireland.comtoday they were aware that the suspect, Mr James Kopp, had been living in Ireland and were in contact with FBI officials investigating the case.
FBI agent Mr Joel Mercer said the FBI learned on March 12th that Mr Kopp was in Ireland.
"We were working with Irish police and determined that he had been in Ireland most of the last 12 months", Mr Mercer said.
"He was living in hostels, working with temporary agencies".
FBI Director Mr Louis Freeh said Mr Kopp, a long-time anti-abortion activist, was arrested in Dinan in northwest France after leaving a post office. The US has begun extradition proceedings.
Mr James Kopp has been charged with the 1998 murder of Dr Barnett Slepian (52) who was killed by a sniper as he stood in his kitchen in the Buffalo, New York, suburb of Amherst talking with his wife and one of his four sons.
"We are committed to bringing Mr Kopp back to the United States to face these charges," Attorney General John Ashcroft said.
Mr Ashcroft said Mr Kopp (46) faces state charges of second-degree murder and federal charges of using a firearm in a crime of violence and of using deadly force to prevent Dr Slepian from providing abortions.
The Slepian killing was the fifth shooting of a doctor who provided abortions in Canada and western New York state since 1993 in which the assailant used similar weapons and the victim was shot through a window while at home. Mr Kopp has been suspected in the other shootings.
Nicknamed the Atomic Dog in anti-abortion circles, Mr Kopp has been arrested several times since 1990 for protesting abortion. His car was seen in Dr Slepian's neighborhood several days before the shooting, the FBI said.
Additional reporting: