Australian most-wanted fugitive Malcolm Naden captured

One of Australia's most wanted fugitives, Malcolm Naden, has been captured after seven years on the run.

Police found Naden at a property 18 miles west of Gloucester in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales just after midnight, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

A senior police source told the Sydney Morning Herald no one was injured when the tactical operations unit and the dog squad moved in on the armed and dangerous man in dense bushland on the north coast of New South Wales state.

The 38-year-old former slaughterhouse worker was wanted for the disappearance of his 24-year-old cousin, Lateesha Nolan, murder of a 24-year-old friend, Kristy Scholes, the indecent assault of a 15-year-old girl, the shooting of a police officer, and a number of property offenses.

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The father of Lateesha Nolan, Mick Peet, says he spent a sleepless night after being called with the news.

"It's unbelievable, I just can't believe it," he said, the ABC reported. "After seven years it's been so long, we've been waiting for this day and I didn't think it was going to come.

"It's still sinking in. It's unbelievable the feeling we've got at the moment, but we're just one step closer to closure."

Residents near the scene where he was captured expressed relief.

"I think most of the people in outlying areas will be very happy to hear the news," said Gloucester business owner Graham Holstein.

"Inside the town itself there wasn't any great concern. As a matter of fact, a very nonchalant attitude in most cases.

"But my personal feeling was that he was a dangerous guy that needed to be caught."

Naden's arrest and the search that led to it is estimated to have cost several million dollars, according to News.com.au. 

Naden had changed his appearance, presenting as bald and with a bushy beard.

A rifle was seized from the property.