Yesterday, the student said: “I knew straight away the person I was reading in the papers, said to be wanted by police, was the man I’d seen day-in, day-out at the hotel.
“I telephoned police, and it didn’t seem to be a priority for them, but they appear to have moved fast and caught up with him.
“It wasn’t hard to make the link. I even sent an email to the US embassy and phoned 999 and Crimestoppers. I’m surprised he didn’t do a runner with all the stuff in the newspapers.”
Halligen is also said to have caused consternation in the hotel, visited this year by celebrities including Meg Ryan over unpaid bills.
Following a short hearing at court yesterday, Halligen was refused bail and was remanded in custody until December 2.
