Australia Finally Nabs Its Most Wanted Man

Australia's most wanted man, who eluded capture for seven years by hiding in dense forests, was captured and charged with murder today, ending a frustrating and at times violent hunt, police said. Malcolm Naden, 38, was heavily bearded, barefoot, and wearing muddy clothes when New South Wales police found him just after midnight at a remote house near the town of Gloucester, about 160 miles north of Sydney. The former slaughterhouse worker has been charged with the 2005 strangling death of a cousin and other violent crimes.

A police dog bit Naden in the raid, which was prompted by a tip. Police found a loaded semiautomatic rifle on the property but said no shots were fired during the arrest. About 50 officers had been searching for Naden, considered to be a wilderness survival expert, around the clock since December, when police say he shot and wounded an officer during a raid at a campsite. (More Malcolm Naden stories.)