INTERPOL Red Notice issued for Anne Sacoolas

An INTERPOL Red Notice has reportedly been issued for Anne Sacoolas in connection with her alleged involvement in the death of Harry Dunn in August 2019. Mrs Sacoolas fled the UK in the days after the collision which caused Mr Dunn’s death, claiming diplomatic immunity. She was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December 2019 but request for her extradition was rejected by the US in January 2020.

The effect of an INTERPOL Red Notice is to communicate a request from one member state to all others, seeking  the location and arrest of a wanted person with a view to extradition or similar action. A Red Notice is not an ’international arrest warrant’ and each member country will have its own policy for responding to such requests.

As the US has made clear that it considers Mrs Sacoolas to be covered by diplomatic immunity and has already refused to extradite her on that basis, it is unlikely that the issuance of any Red Notice will pose any threat to Mrs Sacoolas while she remains in the US. However, problems may arise if she were to travel to another country where she may be arrested. The UK would then be able to submit a further extradition request to that country.