Reno's role in Elian saga

Attorney-General Janet Reno: A Miami native

By Nick Bryant in Washington

Janet Reno, the leading law enforcement official in the United States, made the final decision for the federal immigration officials to raid the Miami home of Elian Gonzalez's relatives.

Ms Reno is a Miami native, working as a prosecutor in the city before taking up her post as attorney-general in 1993.

She well understands the passions of Florida's Cuban-American community and her actions over the past months have been carefully geared towards achieving the peaceful handover of Elian Gonzalez to his Cuban father.

Elian Gonzalez: Seized in a pre-dawn raid

With his Miami relatives refusing to relinquish the boy in a defiant stand against federal authority, Ms Reno decided to take personal charge of negotiations.

She flew to Miami in a high-profile attempt to resolve the crisis.

But her intervention failed, and under growing pressure from President Bill Clinton, she decided to end the stand-off.

Federal officials have been monitoring the crowds on the streets of Little Havana for weeks, trying to spot an opportunity to seize the boy.

Their chance came this morning after last-ditch talks with Elian's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez broke down.

Ms Reno will be relieved that there were no serious casualties from the pre-dawn raid.

She is said still to be haunted by the events in Waco, Texas, in 1993, when 75 members of the Branch Davidian cult were killed when federal officials moved to end a stand-off.