10 October 2001
Fact Sheet: U.S. List of Most Wanted Terrorists
(Bush administration identifies 22 known terrorists) (1220)
The following fact sheet on "The List of Most Wanted Terrorists" was
issued by the White House October 10. See also:
http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/terrorists/fugitives.htm
(begin fact sheet)
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
October 10, 2001
Fact Sheet
The List of Most Wanted Terrorists
Overview
The President today will join Attorney General John Ashcroft,
Secretary of State Colin Powell and FBI Director Robert Mueller in
announcing a new joint program to heighten global awareness of
America's efforts to locate known terrorists and bring them to
justice.
The new program will be managed jointly by the Department of Justice
and the State Department. The FBI portion of the program will be known
as the list of "Most Wanted Terrorists." The State Department facet of
the program will be managed through the department's Rewards for
Justice Program.
As part of today's announcement, the Bush Administration will identify
22 known terrorists that have been placed on the list of "Most Wanted
Terrorists."
The List of "Most Wanted Terrorists"
WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING
February 26, 1993
Indicted in the Southern District of New York
On February 26, 1993, a bomb exploded in the underground parking
garage of the World Trade center in New York City, killing six persons
and injuring hundreds. The following defendant is included in the
Indictment returned in the Southern District of New York:
-- Abdul Rahman Yasin
PLOT TO BOMB AIRCRAFT IN THE FAR EAST (MANILA AIR)
January, 1995
Indicted in the Southern District of New York
In January 1995, the United States learned of a plot based in Manila
to bomb 12 commercial jumbo jets of United States carriers flying
Asian-Pacific routes. In December 1994, the conspirators had engaged
in a test on a Philippines airliner using only about 10 percent of the
explosives that were to be used in each of the bombs to be planted on
United States airliners. The test resulted in the death of a Japanese
national on board a flight from the Philippines to Japan. The
following defendant is included in the Indictment returned in the
Southern District of New York:
-- Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
KHOBAR TOWERS BOMBING
June 25, 1996
Indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia
On June 25, 1996, an explosive device contained within a mid-sized
tanker truck detonated outside the perimeter of the Khobar Towers
military housing complex in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The
explosion killed 19 United States Air Force personnel, wounded 280
persons, and severely damaged several military facilities in the
complex. The following defendants are included in the Indictment
returned in the Eastern District of Virginia:
-- Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil
-- Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Houri
-- Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub
-- Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser
THE BOMBINGS OF UNITED STATES EMBASSIES IN KENYA AND TANZANIA
August 7, 1998
On August 7, 1998, bombs contained with large motor vehicles were
detonated outside the United States Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Eleven United States nationals were killed in
Nairobi; there were heavy casualties among Kenyan civilians and some
foreign service nationals employed by the United States Embassy. In
Dar es Salaam, no United States nationals were killed but four were
injured; several foreign service nationals who worked at that Embassy
were killed. The following defendants are included in the Indictment
returned by the Southern District of New York:
-- Usama Bin Laden
-- Muhammad Atef
-- Ayman Al-Zawahiri
-- Fazul Abdullah Mohammed
-- Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil
-- Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam
-- Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani
-- Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan
-- Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah
-- Anas Al-Liby
-- Saif Al-Adel
-- Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali
-- Mushin Musa Matwalli Atwah
HIJACKING OF TWA 847
June 14, 1985
Indicted in the District of Columbia
On June 14, 1985, TWA 847 was hijacked while en route from Athens,
Greece, to Rome, Italy. U.S. Navy Diver Robert Stethem was brutally
tortured and murdered during the hijacking, his body dumped on the
tarmac of Beirut International Airport. The following defendants are
included in the Indictment returned in the District of Columbia.
-- Imad Mugniyah
-- Hassan Izz-Al-Din
-- Ali Atwa
The State Department's Rewards for Justice Program
The Rewards for Justice Program is a formidable weapon in the U.S.
arsenal for combating international terrorism. Established by the 1984
Act to Combat International Terrorism, Public Law 98-533, the Program
is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic
Security.
Under this program, the Secretary of State may offer rewards of up to
$5 million for information that prevents, frustrates, or favorably
resolves acts of international terrorism against U.S. interests
worldwide or leads to the arrest or conviction in any country of an
individual for the commission of such an act. Rewards may also be paid
for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual
conspiring or attempting to commit such a terrorist act, or aiding or
abetting in the commission of such an act.
The Rewards for Justice Program has been an effective tool in the
fight against international terrorism. In the past seven years, the
United States has paid over $8 million in 22 cases to individuals who
have come forward with credible information that puts terrorists
behind bars or prevents acts of international terrorism worldwide.
The program played a significant role in the arrest of international
terrorist Ramzi Yousef, whose capture is perhaps the textbook example
of the effectiveness of the program. Yousef came to the United States
prior to the bombing of the World Trade Center to coordinate the
manufacture and placement of the bomb. He left the United States about
the same time the bomb exploded, but his terrorist planning didn't
stop there. Yousef allegedly made arrangements to simultaneously blow
up 12 U.S. commercial airliners as they flew over the Pacific Ocean.
Using pictures and identifiers, the State Department flooded the world
with posters, matchbooks, flyers, and newspaper ads with information
about Yousef and his role in the World Trade Center bombing. A little
less than two years later, an informant appeared with one of our
reward offers and pinpointed Yousef's location in Pakistan. Yousef was
arrested shortly thereafter.
People with information on the September 11th attacks or any past or
planned act of international terrorism against the United States are
urged to contact the FBI or the Bureau of Diplomatic Security via any
one of the following avenues:
Internet: www.dssrewards.net or www.ifccfbi.gov
E-mail: mail@dssrewards.net
Telephone: 1-800-437-6371 (U.S. only) or 1-866-483-5137
Mail: Rewards for Justice
P.O. Box 96781
Washington, DC 20090-6781 USA
In addition, people located overseas may contact the Regional Security
Officer at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Terrorism threatens the security of all people, and our determination
to fight it is greater than ever. Through the Rewards for Justice
Program, we have tracked terrorists aggressively and made them pay for
their crimes. Thousands of innocent lives around the world have been
saved through the prevention of terrorist attacks. Without question,
this program is one of the most valuable assets the U.S. Government
has in the fight against international terrorism.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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