Malcolm Naden, one of Australia's most wanted fugitives, has been captured west of Gloucester.
A senior police source said no one was injured when they moved in on the armed and dangerous man in rugged bushland on the NSW north coast.
The capture puts an end to an at times embarrassing hunt for the former abattoir worker who has managed to elude police for nearly seven years.
"Weve just got off a satellite phone, so it's pretty remote but they've got him and locked him up," he said.
"Pretty excited about this," the police officer said.
Naden, 38, was being held at Taree police station this morning, where a source said he was talking to officers.
Assistant Commissioner Carlene York told a news conference that police received a tip off and officers from the Tactical Operations Unit and Dog Unit were sent to a house 30 kilometres west of Gloucester last night.
"It was an area that we had been looking at and we had been concentrating on for some time around that Gloucester, Nowendoc area," Assistant Commissioner York said.
FLASHBACK: Click on the image above for scenes from the Nowendoc hunt late last year, and digital police impressions of Naden's likely image.
Officers surrounded the house and Naden came out briefly, before trying to escape through a back door, she said.
"The police then again confronted him on that side, because we had the building contained, and a short scuffle ensued when he was then arrested."
Naden, who was bitten by a police dog during the arrest, was given a health check before he was taken to be interviewed.
Assistant Commissioner York said there were no shots fired, but police seized a loaded semi-automatic rifle from the house.
Police believed Naden had been at the house before.
"That was something that was quite common to his movements, that he was often going back to the same residence where he'd done break and enters over a period of years often using similar tracks that we thought he was traveling along.
"It was that pain staking gathering of that evidence by my officers that assisted us in the successful operation last night."
Naden has been wanted since the discovery of his cousin Kristy Scholes's body in the bedroom of his family's home in Dubbo, in central NSW, in June 2005.
Police also link him to the murder of another of his cousins, Lateesha Nolan, who was last seen in January 2005.
Naden is also linked to the aggravated indecent assault of a 15-year-old girl in Dubbo in 2004.
A 33-year-old police officer was wounded when Naden open fired in December last year after police received information leading them to a campsite near Nowendoc.
Earlier this month, NSW police announced Naden was in possession of a semi-automatic firearm.
Police Commissioner Scipione said that the arrest followed an enormous operation, and thanked the people of northern NSW for their invaluable assistance and support.
"The arrest of this man this morning marks the end of a very difficult and lengthy investigation and search operation by NSW Police," Commissioner Scipione said.
"This result could not have been achieved without the cooperation of communities in northern NSW whose assistance and vital information has helped police over a long period of time.
"People in those communities deserve praise for their assistance and their perseverance."
Commissioner Scipione also praised the work of police officers involved in the operation
"Today's arrest also is a tribute to the many different elements of the NSW Police Force who have come together and operated in a very tough environment," Commissioner Scipione said.
"I want to pay tribute to those people from the Tactical Operations Unit, the Dog Unit, the Air Wing, our general duties police and other specialist units whose work has been invaluable. Everyone who contributed can stand tall."
The Commander of Strike Force Durkin, Assistant Commissioner Carlene York, said police always believed the operation would succeed.
"We never doubted that we could get to this point," Assistant Commissioner York said.
"Our people were operating in extremely difficult conditions and we had to adapt our strategies along the way. However, we always understood that every day brought us closer and that our tactics would prevail. This was a game of patience and I am very proud of everyone involved.
"The fact that we have made an arrest today without any harm to members of the public or police officers gives me a lot of comfort."
They do a great job, AND they are underpaid for the work they do, how would you like to go to work evary day not knowing if you will get home that night.
Hear Hear ! (Cripes, I must be ill, I'm agreeing with wombat)
you had better see a Dr asap
Della, how you going?
-- Edited by _wombat_ on Thursday 22nd of March 2012 05:43:11 PM
They do a great job, AND they are underpaid for the work they do, how would you like to go to work evary day not knowing if you will get home that night.
They do a great job, AND they are underpaid for the work they do, how would you like to go to work evary day not knowing if you will get home that night.
Hear Hear ! (Cripes, I must be ill, I'm agreeing with wombat)
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Khalil Gibran says "We tarry forward - not backward".
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yayyy at last they got him ive always been watching this and hoping they get him ,so glad at last its been scary for people living in that area, and also just people alone as who knows where he could or would of made it to .
Job well done for the men & women of the Police Dept.
It will be ashame if one of these out of touch judges lets the nasty bugga go with a slap on the wrist or half hearted attempt at a decent sentence......with a bit of luck they will throw away the key....oh yeah and now the tax payer can start paying for his upkeep (I read somewhere thats about 50,000 per prisoner).
Ohhhh my goodness what happened to the 'lucky country' !
All the residents of Gloucester and surrounding districts will be soooo relieved!
Theres quite a few business owners there that will be sad to see Malcolm locked up. Business is booming in the area, all the Police etc that required hotel accomodation for MONTHS, take-away food places etc were all reporting booming trade.
Now they get to go back to the slump that the rest of Australian NON-MINING businesses are suffering.
