A gunman serving a substantial jail sentence in the US for a shooting in New York has been named by police in connection with the unsolved murder of a Bradford taxi driver ten years ago.

Family man Mohammed Basharat, 33, died in an execution-style killing when he was shot twice in the head by a hooded lone gunman who burst into the minicab office where he worked.

A senior detective investigating the murder, Detective Inspector Steve Snow, yesterday said: “The person responsible for this cold-blooded killing is clearly a dangerous individual.”

Mr Basharat, of Leylands Lane, Heaton, was killed with a .38 calibre hand gun at the offices of Little Horton Taxis, in Park Lane, Little Horton, on October 20, 2001.

The previous day Mr Basharat, a father-of-four, had been involved in a road-rage incident in his taxi with another driver, a Jamaican man. The pair came to blows and the Jamaican man told the cabbie: “I am going to kill you.”

Detectives have now named Ricardo Linton, who was living in Bradford at the time, as a person of “significant” interest to the murder inquiry. Linton, who was nicknamed Teddy, and also went by the alias of Wayne Alfonso MacDonald, is serving a prison sentence for a similar shooting which took place in New York in 1993.

West Yorkshire detectives have tried to speak to him in jail but he has refused to do so.

Police say Mr Basharat was an innocent man going about his business when his life was taken.

It is believed the killing was as a result of the road-rage incident the previous day in Park Lane, Little Horton.

Det Insp Snow, of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: “Inquiries remain ongoing and we are seeking information about a significant person we believe to be connected with it.

“Ricardo Linton lived in the Little Horton and Girlington areas of Bradford. It is known that he often frequented the Young Lions Club in Lumb Lane, Bradford.”

Linton came to the UK in June, 2001, and initially lived in London, but quickly moved to Bradford, where he stayed with a number of girlfriends. He disappeared shortly after the murder of Mr Basharat.

Det Insp Snow said: “Linton has been traced and is currently serving a custodial sentence in the USA for other matters, but we would like to speak to anyone who has any information about his activity when he arrived in the UK in June, 2001, before fleeing the country for his native Jamaica.

“I want people to think back to 2001, were you associating with Teddy, from June onwards, did you ever meet him in the Young Lions? Did he ever confide in you or speak about the incident? Do you know something but were afraid to come forward to the police, or were reluctant to get involved due to having some allegiance with Teddy, which may now have changed.

“We still want people to come forward. They may hold vital clues, which may help bring some conclusion to the family of Mr Basharat.

“Anyone associated with this man, who didn't come forward at the time of the incident, is asked to contact police. We are as committed as we were in October 2001 to see this inquiry through to a conclusion.”

People with information are asked to contact the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team on (01924) 334640.

e-mail: steve.wright @telegraphandargus.co.uk