Terrorists With the Biggest Bounties on Their Heads
The U.S. has paid $125 million to over 80 people for information.
Oct. 7, 2013 — -- intro: On Saturday, U.S. commandos captured Anas Al-Libi, one of the America's most wanted terrorists and a man with a $5 million bounty on his head.
Al-Libi is one of about 50 foreign terrorists, for whom the State Department offers rewards of between $500,000 and $25 million.
Since 1984, the United States government has paid more than $125 million to over 80 people who "provided actionable information that put terrorists behind bars or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide," according to the department's Rewards for Justice website.
The State Department generally does not release information about the size of bounties paid to informants for specific suspects. It remains unknown, for instance, if one or more people received rewards for information leading to the death of Osama bin Laden.
However, officials have said that rewards were paid out in the capture of past suspects including Ramzi Yousef, a key member of the group that planned the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Saddam Hussein's two son's Uday and Qussay Hussein.
Listed below are the top five foreign terrorists wanted by the U.S. government, as determined by the size of the bounty on their heads.
quicklist: 1title: Ayman al-Zawahiritext: Ayman al-Zawahiri is the most wanted terrorist in the world. For decades, Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon, served as a deputy and personal physician to Osama bin Laden. He is considered the acting head of al Qaeda and has been implicated in the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa and in planning the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The government bounty is higher for him than any other currently wanted suspect.
Reward: $25millionmedia: 20495972
quicklist: 2title: Abu Du'atext: Abu Du'a is the leader of al Qaeda's ruthless terror operation in Iraq, and according to the State Department is currently believed to be hiding in Syria. Following Osama bin Laden's death, Du'a promised retaliation, and within days organized an attack that killed 24 policemen and wounded 72 others in Hilla, Iraq. Du'a has pledged to carry out 100 attacks to avenge the death of bin Laden, according to the State Department.
Reward: $10 millionmedia: 20496091
quicklist: 3title: Mullah Omartext: Mullah Omar has been on the State Department's Rewards for Justice list since 2001, when as a head of Afghanistan's theocratic Taliban government he sheltered Osama bin Laden. Following the fall of the Taliban, Omar fled, and is believed to be living in Pakistan. From there he has led Taliban forces to attack U.S. troops and the Afghan forces.
Reward: $10 millionmedia: 20495880
quicklist:4title:Hafiz Mohamed Sayeedtext:Hafiz Mohamed Sayeed is the founder and leader of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, the Pakistani terror group responsible for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, that killed 166 people, including six Americans. Saeed was born in Pakistan and trained as an engineer.
Reward: $10 millionmedia: 20495828
quicklist:5title:Yasin al-Suritext:Al-Qaeda's man in Iran is Yasin al-Suri. Born in Syria, Suri is currently believed to be operating in Iran with the consent of that country's government. He is believed to have raised millions of dollars for al- Qaeda and is in charge of vast logistics operation, moving money and recruits throughout the Middle East.
Reward: $10 millionmedia: 20496035
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