Harris Binotti, the prime suspect in the murder of international school teacher Gary Ferguson, has supposedly been located in Glasgow according to the Times.
Binotti was thought to have fled Myanmar on the morning of Saturday, November 5 — the day before Ferguson’s body was discovered by Binotti’s girlfriend and Ferguson’s wife — before catching a connecting flight to an unknown destination. However, Thai authorities confirmed that Binotti had not entered the country since mid-October of last year.
Binotti and Ferguson were colleagues at the Horizon International School in Yangon, and had been out drinking the night before the suspected murder. Ferguson’s body was discovered with head and chest injuries early in the morning on Sunday, November 6.
Just last week, Interpol officially listed 26-year-old Binotti in their Red Notice Database — a move that could prove instrumental in his arrest.
“The FCO and Police Scotland have their hands tied because, even if Binotti arrived back in the UK, they would be unable to arrest him as he isn’t officially wanted. Neither have the power to investigate and they are limited in what they can do,” an anonymous UK government source had relayed to the Scottish Daily Express back in December. Although Myanmar authorities still have the lead in the investigation, the issuance of the Interpol red notice now means that Scottish police have the authority to arrest and extradite Binotti to Myanmar if rumors of the suspect living in Scotland prove to be true.
The victim’s brother, Martin, told the Times: “He was never hiding [in Glasgow]. He was out and about. He seems to have been enjoying himself, drinking in local bars.”
Following the murder, the victim’s family made multiple pleas on social media to help locate Binotti. In December, they started raising funds online to offer as a reward for information about Binotti’s whereabouts.
After the red notice was issued, Martin wrote on his Facebook page: “After such a hard and long fight I am in tears to announce that Binotti has finally been put on the Interpol list of wanted persons. He can now be arrested internationally.”
Martin Ferguson declined Coconuts Yangon‘s requests for a comment, instead pointing to a Scottish Sun article that reports that Binotti and his partner currently reside in an apartment in Craigton, Glasgow.
