Bounty doubled for Australian bushman murder suspect

The bounty on an accused Australia murder and survival expert, who has avoided capture for six years, was more than doubled by police Friday. Malcolm Naden has eluded police since disappearing in June 2005 from his grandparents' home, days before a 24-year-old mother-of-two was found strangled in his bedroom. He is also wanted over the indecent assault of a 15-year-old girl and for questioning over the disappearance of another 24-year-old woman. Police thought they had their suspect earlier this week when they descended on a bush camp near Nowendoc in northern New South Wales, but a man believed to be Naden opened fire and shot a policeman before melting into the forest. It was the seventh failed operation to catch him and police on Friday boosted the reward for his capture from Aus$100,000 (US$101,000) to Aus$250,000. Naden previously worked as a shearer, and skinner and boner in an abattoir and has been described as a "master bushman" with an intimate knowledge of the rugged terrain in which he is hiding. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, before he disappeared he lived behind a locked bedroom door where he read the Bible, encyclopaedias and survival manuals. Other reports said he often sets up crude but sturdy camps on hilltops, giving him the widest possible field of vision, and survives on whatever the bush provides while breaking into remote homes to steal weapons and supplies. NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said: "We are hot on his trail. "But at the end of the day you need everything going for you, not just a few things." Scipione said police believed Naden remained in the area they were scouring with helicopters and on foot, but bad weather was hampering the search. "We've had days where there has been less than 20 metres visibility. We're hopeful of good weather, and that will certainly assist us." Some people have reportedly developed a grudging respect for Naden due to his survival skills, but Scipione warned he was not a man to be approached or assisted. "This is really not a man that you want to entertain in your house," he said. "He's on the run. He's armed. He's dangerous."