Immigration authorities yesterday deported a wily U.S. fugitive accused of attempted murder in the United States.

Authorities here had a hard time capturing Nicholas Himmelsbach, 26, who fought off five Costa Rican cops who tried to detain him and then escaped from an Immigration holding cell after his arrest.

According to Immigration spokeswoman Heidy Bonilla, Himmelsbach was extradited to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is accused of attempted murder and of being involved in a drive-by shooting in that city earlier this year.  

Authorities nabbed the suspect last week at a friend's house in Rohrmoser, west of San José.

Once he was finally taken into custody, authorities took him to an Immigration holding center in nearby Hatillo, which he escaped from an hour after arriving. Authorities were able to track him down and arrest him again.

They put him in a high-security detention center while his extradition was processed, according to a statement from International Police (Interpol).