Federal officials say five of the FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives have been taken into custody in less than a year, surpassing totals from the prior administration.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The FBI has captured five of its ten most wanted fugitives during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, a pace that exceeds the number of top fugitives apprehended during the entirety of the Biden administration, according to statements from federal officials.
Kash Patel, the current FBI director, said the individuals apprehended had collectively spent decades evading law enforcement before being taken into custody within the past year. In a post on X, Patel wrote that the fugitives “spent over three decades collectively evading justice” and that they have now “been put in custody” in under one year, crediting the agency’s efforts under Trump’s leadership.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, this FBI is defending the homeland, crushing violent crime, and manhunting,” Patel wrote in a post published on X.
One of the most recent arrests involved Alejandro Rosales Castillo, who had been listed among the FBI’s most wanted fugitives. Authorities said Castillo was taken into custody and, as of Saturday, was being prepared for extradition to North Carolina, where he faces murder charges.
Patel has previously contrasted the current pace of arrests with those made under former President Joe Biden. During a congressional hearing in September, Patel said the FBI captured four of the top ten most wanted fugitives during Biden’s four-year term.
“We’ve captured at the FBI 4 of the most top 10 wanted fugitives in the world in 7 months,” Patel said during the hearing, according to remarks later shared in a video clip. “To put that in perspective, that’s as many as my predecessor nabbed in the entirety of the Biden administration. We got 4 — we got more coming.”
Media analyses have also highlighted the difference in arrest totals. In March, Newsweek reported that by a comparable point in each administration, the Trump administration had already apprehended three individuals on the FBI’s most wanted list, while the Biden administration had not recorded any such arrests at the same stage of its term.
Federal officials have not released detailed operational data on the investigations leading to the arrests, but Patel has said the agency remains focused on locating and apprehending the remaining fugitives on the list.
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