US authorities have arrested a former special forces soldier and his son wanted by Japan on charges that they enabled the escape of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn out of the country.

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said that former US Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, helped Ghosn last year flee to Lebanon to avoid trial in Japan over alleged financial wrongdoing.

Japan had in January issued arrest warrants for both men along with a third, George-Antoine Zayek, in connection with facilitating the escape on 29 December. The Taylors are scheduled to appear by video conference before a federal judge later on Wednesday.

Lawyers for the men could not be immediately identified. Prosecutors have reportedly asked the men be denied bail because of their involvement in previous escapes.

The arrests were only the latest twist in the saga of Ghosn’s detention in November 2018 followed by his dramatic flight from constant monitoring in Tokyo over a year later.

His arrest shocked the automotive industry after almost two decades in charge of Nissan that had also seen him mastermind the alliance with France’s Renault and Japan’s Mitsubishi that produced one of the world’s largest carmakers.

Ghosn fled to Lebanon, his childhood home, while he was awaiting trial on charges of underreporting earnings, breach of trust and misappropriation of Nissan funds. Ghosn has consistently denied all the allegations, claiming he had fled Japan to avoid a “rigged Japanese justice system”.

Prosecutors’ documents allege that Peter Taylor met Ghosn seven times from July 2019 until his escape on 29 December. The meetings were recorded as part of Ghosn’s bail conditions, according to the documents, which were published by Seamus Hughes, a George Washington University professor.

Peter Taylor allegedly met Ghosn the day before the escape. Michael Taylor and Zayek allegedly then flew a private jet from Dubai to Japan with empty boxes made for audio equipment, telling immigration officials they were musicians. Ghosn met the pair and travelled to a hotel room in Osaka, where he allegedly hid in one of the boxes, which was not checked at airport security.

Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, although the latter’s justice minister visited his Lebanese counterparts in February to push for Ghosn’s arrest to face charges.

US legal papers recount the details of Ghosn’s escape, including his use of Japan’s bullet train system, a hotel rendezvous and a departure from Japan hidden in a large black box onboard a private jet.

The Japanese embassy in Washington and Nissan did not immediately comment on the arrests.

Earlier this month, a lawyer said Turkish prosecutors have prepared an indictment charging seven people, including four pilots and two flight attendants, over Ghosn’s escape via Istanbul to Lebanon after fleeing Japan.

After Japan submitted requests for the pair’s provisional arrest, the justice department obtained arrest warrants on 6 May.

US law enforcement officials learned Peter Taylor had booked a flight from Boston to Beirut departing Wednesday with a layover in London and he was arrested by US marshals, as was Michael Taylor.

Ghosn’s former colleague at Nissan, Greg Kelly, also faces trial in Japan over charges he was involved in a conspiracy with Ghosn to underreport earnings. The trial was initially scheduled to take place in April but has been delayed, with no new date set, Kelly’s lawyer said. Kelly denies the charges.