5 fugitives featured in Netflix’s World’s Most Wanted and their alleged crimes

Season one of World's Most Wanted arrives on Netflix on Wednesday 5th August and will focus on five sought after fugitives that have avoided capture despite massive rewards and global investigations - read on for profiles of the suspects.

Samantha Lewthwaite

Northern Ireland-born Samantha Lewthwaite is the widow of 7/7 London terrorist bomber Germaine Lindsay, and is thought to have been associated with Mohammad Sidique Khan - the ringleader of those attacks.

Since 2005 she has also been linked to various other terrorist attacks in Kenya and she is wanted in the country on charges of possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony.

Nicknamed the "White Widow", it is estimated that her terrorist activities have caused the deaths of upwards of 400 people, while she has alleged ties to the Somalia-based radical Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab.

Matteo Messina Denaro

A Sicilian Mafia boss who also goes by the nickname "Diabolik" (after an Italian comic book character) Matteo Messina Denaro is one of organised crime's most powerful men - having been considered one of the head honchos of the Cosa Nostra since the early 00's, and referred to as the boss of all bosses within the Mafia.

Denaro has been a fugitive since 1993 when he played a prominent role in a terrorist campaign against the Italian state, and is thought to be linked to at least 50 murders.

Félicien Kabuga

At 85-years-old, Felician Kabuga is the oldest criminal to appear in the series - and is accused of having participated in the Rwandan genocide, the mass slaughter of people belonging to the Tutsi, Twa, and moderate Hutu ethnic groups which took place in 1994 and saw an estimated 500,000 to one million Rwandans killed.

As of May this year Kabuga is no longer a fugitive from justice, having been arrested in Paris after 26 years on the run (during which time it is believed he used at least 28 aliases), and he was charged with conspiracy to commit genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity.

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada is a Mexican drug lord and the current head of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, having taken over as the organisation's chief following El Chapo's (Joaquin Guzman) capture in 2016, and there is currently a $5 million bounty on his head.

Prior to his ascension to leader, he served as the logistical coordinator for its Zambada-García faction, which has overseen the trafficking of cocaine and heroin into Chicago and other US cities, while it is suspected that he may have had plastic surgery and disguised himself to move throughout Mexico whilst evading capture.

Semion Mogilevich

Ukrainian born mobster Semion Mogilevich is believed to be the current boss of bosses of the Russian mafia, and has been accused by the FBI of all manner of crimes including contract murders, extortion, and drugs and weaponing trafficking.

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There have also been allegations from the former Russian secret service agent Alexander Litvinenko (who was assassinated shortly after he made the claims) that Mogilevich has ties to Vladimir Putin that date back to the '90s.

Although he is described by the FBI as "the most dangerous mobster in the world" Mogilevich currently lives freely in Moscow.

World's Most Wanted arrives on Netflix on Wednesday 5th August. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best TV series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.