MALCOLM Naden, one of Australia's most wanted fugitives, has been captured in the Upper Hunter.
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No one was injured when police swooped on the allegedly armed man just a few fateful minutes after midnight.
Officers from the tactical operations unit and dog squad made the arrest after surrounding him on a private property about 30 kilometres west of Gloucester.
Fairfax Media was the first to break the news.
From the SMH:
Timeline: Nearly seven years on the run
Police capture Naden, NSW's most-wanted man
The capture puts an end to a frustrating hunt for the experienced bushman and former meat worker who has managed to elude police for seven years.
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FLASHBACK: Scenes from the Nowendoc hunt late last year, and digital police impressions of Naden's likely image.
"We’ve just got off a satellite phone, so it's pretty remote but they've got him and locked him up," a senior police source said.
A police media spokesman later confirmed that a 38-year-old had been arrested.
It was not known if any member of the public had claim to the $250,000 state reward on offer for Naden's capture.
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He has been wanted since the discovery of the body of Kristy Scholes in a bedroom of his home in Dubbo in June 2005.
Police also want to question him over the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan, who was last seen in January 2005.
They also plan to quiz Naden about the alleged aggravated indecent assault of a 15-year-old girl in 2004, and a string of alleged property offences.
Naden has been accused of shooting a 33-year-old officer in the shoulder last December after police received information leading them to a campsite near Nowendoc.
Police found a rifle at the Gloucester rural property and are searching this morning for "any other items he may have been using".
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the arrest marked the end of a long and difficult search operation.
"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," he said.
"People in those communities deserve praise for their assistance and their perserverance."
The head of the operation, Assistant Commissioner Carlene York, said police had always been confident of an arrest.
"We always understood that every day brought us closer, and that our tactics would prevail," she said.
"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."
