The suspect was detained and taken in for questioning south of Tucson, Arizona – where the 84-year-old lives.

It was later revealed that the person was caught in a traffic stop in Rio Rico, near America’s southern border with Mexico.

By the early hours of Wednesday morning, UK time, there was no indication yet that the person detained is the mystery man seen in the footage.

TMZ had earlier revealed it had seen “activity” in a Bitcoin account listed in a $6million ransom note for the elderly woman.

The outlet said it would not immediately disclose the exact amount of money moving around in the account.

A law enforcement source involved in the investigation went on to tell the website the person detained was not a member of the Guthrie family.

The kidnapper had promised to return the missing woman to Tucson within 12 hours of receiving the money, which onlookers said placed them within a 700-mile radius of the city.

Just hours before the breakthrough, former FBI agent Michael Harrigan told GB News the “kidnapper’s” mistakes on camera would serve as “important signs” that behavioural analysts investigating the case will look at to try to figure out what this person’s background was.

“This could be an individual who potentially was hired to do a kidnapping by somebody who may not be well versed in this,” he said.

“There are professional kidnappers out there in the United States… You see some of them down in Mexico and other countries where they are professionals because they kidnap, in series, multiple people for monetary gain, to obtain ransom.

“It’s a business,” he added.

Local sheriff Chris Nanos had said the doorbell camera at Mrs Guthrie’s home was disabled in the early hours of February 1.

He said Guthrie’s pacemaker disconnected from her phone about half an hour later, and she was presumably taken from the house by force.

Two ransom deadlines had passed between Mrs Guthrie’s disappearance and February 10, when the suspect was seized.

Savannah Guthrie, the US breakfast show host and Nancy’s daughter, had attempted to contact her kidnapper and even offered to pay.

|

REUTERS

In a video address on Monday, a tearful Savannah pleaded with her mother’s captor.

“We believe that somehow, someway she is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment,” the Today show host said.

“We believe our mum is still out there.”

She, her brother and sister have all posted several video messages on social media pleading for the public to help with tips and for the kidnappers to return their mother or communicate with them directly.