British police join hunt for US gangster

DETECTIVES in Britain launched a public appeal yesterday for help in catching one of the FBI’s most wanted men.

They believe Irish American gangster James "Whitey" Bulger who is wanted in the US for 19 murders, extortion, racketeering and money laundering is hiding in Ireland or Britain. Bulger was a ruthless Boston crime boss in the 1970s and 1980s.

Now 73-years-old, he is still considered "armed and extremely dangerous" and is on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. The FBI has offered a reward of one million dollars for information leading to his capture.

The worldwide hunt is now focussed on London after a businessman sighted Bulger in Piccadilly in September last year.

The businessman only realised the man might be Bulger when he later went to see the film Hannibal, starring Anthony Hopkins. While watching the film, he saw a scene featuring an FBI Most Wanted poster of Bulger and recognised it as the man he had seen.

Police have since established that Bulger set up a safe deposit box in London in 1992.

Police searched the safe deposit box and found an Irish passport in Bulger's name, letters and £35,000 in US, British, Swiss, French and Irish currencies. They also found a key for another safe deposit box in a bank in Ireland.

Bulger is thought to be on the run with his companion Catherine Greig.