Latest news with #RewardsforJustice
The Hill
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
CIA must pull its weight to free Mahmood Habibi in Afghanistan
For many people, August is a fun time to enjoy summer vacation. But for our family, each Aug. 10 reminds us that another year has passed and my brother, Mahmood Habibi, remains in Taliban custody. My brother is a U.S. citizen who obtained citizenship after working on civil aviation issues in support of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. After the U.S. left Afghanistan, he returned to work as a contractor for Asia Consultancy Group, which manages the air traffic control system at Kabul's airport and the cell towers in downtown Kabul. Shortly after the July 2022 drone strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, my brother was arrested along with 30 other employees of his company. They were taken to the headquarters of the General Directorate of Intelligence, the Taliban's feared secret police, and interrogated about the company's involvement in the strike. It became apparent that the Taliban believed the CIA used cameras atop the company's cell towers to target its strike against Zawahiri. Indeed, the missile they used had to be guided to its target by sight, as it used blades rather than a warhead. Eventually, almost all the 31 people were let go, but not my brother — the only U.S. citizen they have. We have been fighting for three years now to get the Taliban to admit they are holding Mahmood so that he can be traded for. Other Americans — Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, Faye Hall, and William McKenty — were arrested and released in that time, but the Taliban denies they ever had my brother. This denial comes in the face of overwhelming witness testimonies and technical evidence affirming that they arrested him. The Taliban even claimed that they never heard of him — that they looked in their jails and did not find him. As a result, they asserted that he must be dead. In contrast, people held with my brother by the secret police testified that they saw him. One person detained with my brother later reported: 'Even though we were kept in separate rooms next to each other, I could hear Mahmood's voice when he talked. At one point I personally saw Mahmood and one more [Asia Consultancy Group] employee in this … facility.' Congress has been supportive of our efforts. Parallel House and Senate resolutions are being submitted by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Sen. Corey Booker (D-N.J.). The State Department and FBI have been incredibly supportive of my family, and their efforts under the Trump administration are so much more effective than under the Biden Administration. Whereas the Biden Administration politely asked for the Taliban's help, the Trump administration is now demanding that they hand my brother over. My family feels like we finally have someone fighting for us. Both the FBI and State Department worked together with us to offer a $5 million reward for my brother under the Rewards for Justice program. The National Security Council has also been working to create the conditions to bring Mahmood home and we are grateful to the Trump Administration for their advocacy. Unfortunately, the CIA has not been doing all it can to bring my brother home. They are the outlier in the U.S. government. Should my brother die in Taliban custody, I will consider his blood to be on their hands. Aside from its apparent inaction now, the CIA's first sin was that it failed to warn ACG to direct my brother, who was in the United Arab Emirates at the time of the drone strike, not to go back to Kabul. If the agency's collaboration with the company got my brother arrested, they had a duty of care to tell the company to warn employees against returning so soon after the strike. The best evidence that my brother had nothing to do with it was the fact that he returned to Kabul so soon afterward. At a time when the U.S. has cut off most of our funding to Afghanistan, we believe the CIA is still providing Title 50 support to its General Directorate for Intelligence — the same entity that arrested my brother and now denies having ever heard of him. We believe that the CIA has not leveraged this counter-terrorism relationship to encourage them to free my brother. We believe the CIA is ignoring an American citizen it could help, and who is only in a horrible situation because of its failure to warn him, in favor of a desire to play whack-a-mole with the Taliban against ISIS fighters in Afghanistan. I'm saying 'we believe' this because the CIA has refused every request we have made for a meeting — through the State Department, through the National Security Council and directly — for the last three years. If the CIA wants to be left alone in its efforts to work with Afghan authorities, we have no objection. We are taxpayers and we hate terrorists too. But the only way either the Taliban or the CIA will get peace from us is if the CIA leverages its relationship to encourage the Taliban to let my brother go. In the meantime, we hope the House and Senate Intelligence committees will look into this issue for us.
Miami Herald
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
State Department increases reward for info on al-Qaeda leader to $10M
July 29 (UPI) -- The State Department has increased to $10 million its reward for information leading to the identification or location of the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki is the man the State Department says leads AQAP and has called for attacks against the United States and its allies. Al-Awlaki also has led AQAP attacks against the United States and kidnapped Americans and other Westerners in Yemen in his prior role as the amir of the Shabwah province in Yemen, according to a State Department news release issued on Tuesday. The State Department previously offered a $6 million reward for information identifying or locating al-Awlaki's whereabouts via the Rewards for Justice program. Al-Awlaki also goes by the names Sa'd Muhammad Atif and Jalaal al-Sa-idi and was born in Yemen sometime between 1978 and 1983. He stands 5'6" and has a thin build, according to the State Department. The State Department also is offering rewards of $5 million and $4 million, respectively, for information leading to the identification or location of Ibrahim al-Banna and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi. Al-Banna and al-Qosi are part of the leadership team that assists al-Awlaki in his role as the leader of AQAP. Anyone with information on al-Awlaki, al-Banna or al-Qosi can contact the Rewards for Justice office via Telegram, Signal or WhatsApp at +1202-702-7843. Those using a Tor browser also can contact the Rewards for Justice's Tor-based tipline at Congress created the Rewards for Justice program in 1984, which is administered by the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The program offers rewards for information that helps protect American lives, U.S. interests and national security. Since its inception, Rewards for Justice has paid out more than $250 million in rewards to more than 125 people who provided information that helped protect U.S. citizens and end threats to national security. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yemen Online
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Online
U.S. Increases Reward for Information on Yemen-Based Al-Qaeda Leader
The U.S. Department of State has raised its reward offer to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki, the current leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as part of its Rewards for Justice program. Al-Awlaki, who assumed leadership of AQAP in 2024, has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies. He is also accused of orchestrating kidnappings of American citizens and leading militant operations in Yemen's Shabwah province during his previous role as an AQAP emir. The State Department emphasized that the increased reward reflects the heightened threat posed by al-Awlaki's leadership and aims to disrupt AQAP's operational capabilities. Additional rewards of $5 million and $4 million are also being offered for information on senior AQAP figures Ibrahim al-Banna and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi, respectively. Information can be submitted confidentially via secure messaging platforms such as Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp, or through a Tor-based tipline maintained by the Rewards for Justice program. This move comes amid growing concerns over AQAP's resurgence and its potential coordination with other armed groups in Yemen. U.S. officials reaffirmed their commitment to counterterrorism efforts and the protection of American citizens worldwide.
UPI
29-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
State Department increases reward for info on al-Qaeda leader to $10M
July 29 (UPI) -- The State Department has increased to $10 million its reward for information leading to the identification or location of the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki is the man the State Department says leads AQAP and has called for attacks against the United States and its allies. Al-Awlaki also has led AQAP attacks against the United States and kidnapped Americans and other Westerners in Yemen in his prior role as the amir of the Shabwah province in Yemen, according to a State Department news release issued on Tuesday. The State Department previously offered a $6 million reward for information identifying or locating al-Awlaki's whereabouts via the Rewards for Justice program. Al-Awlaki also goes by the names Sa'd Muhammad Atif and Jalaal al-Sa-idi and was born in Yemen sometime between 1978 and 1983. He stands 5'6" and has a thin build, according to the State Department. The State Department also is offering rewards of $5 million and $4 million, respectively, for information leading to the identification or location of Ibrahim al-Banna and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi. Al-Banna and al-Qosi are part of the leadership team that assists al-Awlaki in his role as the leader of AQAP. Anyone with information on al-Awlaki, al-Banna or al-Qosi can contact the Rewards for Justice office via Telegram, Signal or WhatsApp at +1202-702-7843. Those using a Tor browser also can contact the Rewards for Justice's Tor-based tipline at Congress created the Rewards for Justice program in 1984, which is administered by the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The program offers rewards for information that helps protect American lives, U.S. interests and national security. Since its inception, Rewards for Justice has paid out more than $250 million in rewards to more than 125 people who provided information that helped protect U.S. citizens and end threats to national security. This Week in Washington
UPI
15-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
FBI seeks info on three Iranian intelligence officers
1 of 3 | The FBI on Tuesday issued a poster seeking information on Reza Amiri Moghadam. Image Courtesy of the FBI July 15 (UPI) -- The FBI is seeking information on three Iranian intelligence officers accused of abducting retired FBI special agent Robert A. "Bob" Levinson in 2007. The three intelligence officers are Reza Amiri Moghadam, Taghi Daneshvar and Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, all of whom were highly placed in the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security and are accused of playing roles in Levinson's March 9, 2007, abduction and eventual death. "These three intelligence officers were among those who allegedly facilitated Bob's 2007 abduction and the subsequent coverup by the Iranian government," said Steven Jensen, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. "The FBI will continue its relentless pursuit to hold anyone involved in his abduction to account for their reprehensible actions," Jensen said. Levinson's family in March 2020 announced the U.S. government had informed them of Levinson's death, but they do not know how or when he died. The Iranian government denied knowledge of Levinson's whereabouts for nearly 18 years despite senior intelligence officials authorizing his abduction and detention, according to the FBI. The bureau says the Iranian government also launched a disinformation campaign to deflect blame from the Iranian regime. In response, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in March sanctioned Moghadam, Daneshvar and Mohammadnia for their roles in Levinson's abduction. The FBI on Tuesday produced posters on each of the three men and is offering a $5 million reward for information on Levinson's location and leading to the recovery and return of his body. The State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering an additional, up to $20 million reward for information that leads to Levinson's location, recovery and return. Anyone who has information about Levinson or any Iranian officials who might have had a role in his abduction can send an email to levinsonfbireward@ or submit a tip online at Individuals also can contact their local FBI office of the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to submit relevant information.
