More than 1,000 fugitives, many wanted for violent crimes, were rounded up over the past week in a coordinated nationwide effort led by U.S. marshals, officials said Thursday.
Codenamed "Operation Falcon," the manhunt was the largest ever and involved local, state and federal authorities, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman David Turner said.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was to announce details of the roundup later Thursday.
Congress gave the Marshals Service more money and authority to go after fugitives when it refocused the FBI's mission toward stopping terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Turner said. The Marshals Service now has five permanent regional task forces to search for fugitives, he added. |