Barefoot bandit captured

POLITICS - American 19-year-old skilled woodsman Colton Harris-Moore (aka "the Barefoot Bandit") was captured by police in the Bahamas off the coast of Florida while trying to escape on a speed boat.

On the run since he escaped from a halfway home in 2008 Colton gained his "Barefoot Bandit" nickname for stealing cars, boats and airplanes while shoeless and barefoot. Living in the Washington state back woods for 2 years Colton Harris-Moore eventually migrated across the country leaving a trail of stolen vehicles behind.

His capture on Sunday has outraged 58,000 fans on Facebook (including many young women and men who aspire to be like him). After his capture he was flown to Nassau where he now faces possible extradition to the United States. His hair looked like he recently got a haircut and he was, of course, barefoot.

The wily woodsman had been eluding police searches in the American north-west for most of two years now, embarrassing Washington state police with their inability to find him. This didn't stop the Bahamanian police however who managed to shoot out the engine of his boat when he was trying to escape.

With no pilot's license or formal training Colton Harris-Moore is already considered a pro at eluding people in the woods. He honed his skills while growing up in the woods of Camano Island in Puget Sound, 50 kilometres north of Seattle.

Supporters say the US military would be smart to hire Colton Harris-Moore as a consultant to help train special forces on eluding capture by enemy forces.

20th Century Fox has already bought the movie rights.