How does the FBI determine who its most wanted fugitives are? Daniel Nasaw took a look at the history of the list:

• The ten people on the list are not ranked in any particular order.
• The FBI only puts people on the list if the trail has gone cold and it believes that the public could aid in the capture of the fugitive. Of the 495 people who have made the list 465 have been captured.
• Other criteria for being on the list include having a federal warrant out for an arrest, being deemed a threat to society, and being worth a $100,000 reward.
• The top 10 list has mirrored the interests of the FBI. Up until the 70s violent anti-Vietnam war protesters dominated the list. In the 90s it was terrorists. In the 00s it has been child pornographers and pedophiles.
• Individuals are removed from the list if they are captured, die, or are no longer considered a menace to society.
• It can take a long time to replace somebody on the list. 11 months passed between the death of Osama bin Laden and the selection of his replacement.

To find out exactly how many of the most wanted have been captured through tips from the public, who currently makes up the list, why the FBI doesn’t put people on the list unless the trail has gone cold, the specific bureaucratic processes for adding somebody to the list, and who was deemed threatning enough to replace Osama bin Laden, click here.

Source: BBC