The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for a Maze escaper to be extradited.
Lawyers for Jimmy Joseph Smyth (42), had argued he would suffer political persecution based on his religious beliefs and political opinions if sent back to Northern Ireland.
"His return to Northern Ireland on the factual record before this court would be a travesty of justice," they said in the appeal, which the Supreme Court rejected without comment or dissent.
Smyth and an associate attempted to kill an off duty prison guard in Belfast in 1977. He was convicted in 1978 of attempted murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but in 1983 he was among 38 prisoners who broke out of the Maze prison. He went to San Francisco, where he was arrested in 1992.
The British government said Smyth was a member of the IRA, which he denied, saying he was innocent of the attempted murder. His lawyer said the court's decision would have "far reaching consequences".