Reference
Frequently asked questions
Plain-English answers about Interpol Red Notices, the FBI most wanted programme, extradition, rewards and how Malandro aggregates official notices.
Notices
- Is an Interpol Red Notice an international arrest warrant?
- No. Interpol itself has no powers of arrest. A Red Notice is a request to police in Interpol's 196 member countries to locate and provisionally detain a wanted person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. Whether the person is actually detained depends entirely on the laws of the country in which they are found. Several countries refuse to act on Red Notices they consider politically motivated.
- How does someone end up on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list?
- FBI field offices nominate candidates from the bureau's most significant federal fugitive cases. A review panel at FBI headquarters evaluates the nominations based on the seriousness of the crime, the subject's dangerousness, and whether public exposure is likely to help locate them. The FBI Director has final approval. A new name is only added when a spot opens, typically after a subject is captured, charges are dropped, or the fugitive dies.
- Why are some Interpol Red Notices not shown publicly?
- Interpol publishes only a public extract of a Red Notice when the requesting country consents. Many Red Notices remain non-public — either at the requesting country's specific request, or because Interpol's General Secretariat considers publication inappropriate under Article 3 of its Constitution (which bars notices of a political, military, religious or racial character). Malandro mirrors only the public extracts that Interpol itself publishes.
Reporting
- How do I report information about a wanted fugitive?
- Always contact the issuing agency directly, not Malandro. Every profile on this site links back to the official notice; use the contact options there. For imminent danger call local emergency services. The FBI accepts tips at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI. Interpol routes tips through national Interpol offices — in most countries this is a division of the national police. Never try to apprehend a wanted person yourself.
- Are rewards actually paid for information leading to a capture?
- Yes, but with strict conditions. Most reward programmes require that the information lead directly to arrest and prosecution, that the tipster not already be working with law enforcement, and often that the informant be a non-US (or non-home-country) person. The FBI's standard reward for a Ten Most Wanted tip is up to $100,000. The US State Department's Rewards for Justice programme pays substantially more — up to $10 million — for terrorism-related captures.
Law
- What is extradition?
- Extradition is the formal legal process by which one country surrenders a wanted person to another country to face criminal charges or serve a sentence. It is governed by bilateral or multilateral treaties and usually requires that the alleged offence be a crime in both countries (dual criminality). Extradition is routinely refused when the requested person is a national of the surrendering state, when the charge is political, or when the receiving country may impose a death penalty that the surrendering state considers unlawful.
- Can a Red Notice be issued for political reasons?
- In principle, no. Article 3 of Interpol's Constitution prohibits any intervention of a political, military, religious or racial character. In practice, Interpol's Commission for the Control of Files (CCF) regularly receives complaints that a Red Notice is politically motivated. Reviewed notices are sometimes deleted or de-published, and several states have been repeatedly sanctioned for abuse. A Red Notice is no guarantee that the underlying warrant is legitimate.
- What happens if a wanted person enters a country that doesn't recognise the notice?
- Practically nothing — at least by the authorities of that country. A Red Notice creates no obligation to arrest. Many states refuse to act on notices from countries with which they have no extradition treaty, or on notices flagged as politically motivated. However, the fugitive remains at risk of being identified and arrested upon travelling to a country that does cooperate with the requesting state.
This site
- Where does Malandro get its data?
- Malandro aggregates publicly available wanted notices from six official sources: the FBI's public API (api.fbi.gov/@wanted), Interpol's public Red Notices API (ws-public.interpol.int/notices/v1/red), Europol's EU Most Wanted site, the UK National Crime Agency, Spain's Policía Nacional, and Spain's Guardia Civil. Each profile links back to the original notice for verification. Data is refreshed on a manual cadence — typically daily or weekly.
- Why does Malandro show a profile that the source agency has removed?
- Usually because the removal happened between our last data refresh and your visit. Profiles disappear from Malandro on the next build after the source removes them. If you've spotted a mismatch, please tell us via the takedown form and we will rebuild sooner.
- How do I request removal or correction of a profile?
- Email takedown@malandro.io with the URL of the record on malandro.io, the nature of the issue (subject no longer wanted, data error, image rights), and any supporting evidence from the issuing agency if available. We respond within 7 days. If the source agency has already removed the notice, the next data build will remove the record automatically.
- Is Malandro affiliated with Interpol, the FBI or any police force?
- No. Malandro is an independent, non-commercial information service. It has no affiliation with any law-enforcement or government body. We only republish publicly available data and link back to the official source of each record. We do not make criminal accusations of our own.