The FBI announced on Friday that one of its ten most wanted fugitives was apprehended by Mexican authorities after evading justice for 17 years.

Fidel Urbina, a former Chicago resident who is charged with rape, murder and kidnapping, has been the subject of a nationwide hunt since 1999 after trying to flee the charges against him.

Police said that he raped and beat one woman in 1998 and then while he was free on bond, he raped and killed a second woman before disappearing.

Urbin, a 41-year-old Mexican national, was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in June 2012.

Fidel Urbina, 41, has been on the run from US authorities for 17 years. He is wanted for the rape and assault of one Chicago woman and the kidnapping, rape, and murder of another

'Fidel Urbina was wanted for his alleged role in two brutal attacks directed against innocent women,' said Michael J. Anderson, the special agent in charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office.

'Many family members have waited a long time for this day to come and they deserve the opportunity to face the accused in a court of law.'

'The FBI is extremely appreciative of our law enforcement partners in Mexico, as well as our local, state, and federal partners, for their tremendous cooperation and collaboration in the capture of this Top Ten Fugitive,' he said.

The bureau said that Urbina was taken into custody on Thursday without incident just outside Valle de Zaragoza in the Mexican province of Chihuahua.

Urbina is in the custody of authorities in Mexico and will remain so until he is extradited to the United States

He is in the custody of authorities in Mexico and will remain so until he is extradited to the United States.

In March 1998, Urbina was arrested and charged with kidnapping, assaulting, and raping a woman in Chicago. After his arrest, he was freed on bond.

While he was out on bond, he is alleged to have assaulted and bludgeoned to death a young woman, Gabriella Torres.

Torres was found in the trunk of an abandoned car in a Chicago alley. The vehicle had been set on fire, according to the FBI.

Mexican officials joined in on the hunt for Urbina in 2006, after it was believed that he had crossed the border

'I'd like to thank our federal partners at the FBI for their outstanding work in apprehending Fidel Urbina, whose merciless actions against innocent victims robbed one family of a daughter and left a permanent scar on a woman fortunate enough to survive his attack,' said Chicago Police chief Eddie Johnson.

'Mr. Urbina's capture should serve as a warning to violent offenders what can be accomplished through the combined weight of federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts.'

Mexican officials joined in on the hunt for Urbina in 2006, after it was believed that he had crossed the border.

In 2006, an arrest warrant was signed by a Mexican Federal Magistrate.

The FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information that leads to Urbina's arrest.