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US Offers Rewards For Information On Key Iran-Based Al-Qaeda Financiers

216 days ago

(RTTNews) - The U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering rewards for information on two key Iran-based facilitators and financiers of al-Qaeda.

The Department has authorized a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to the location of Muhsin al-Fadhli and up to $5 million for information leading to the location of his deputy, Adel Radi Saqr al-Wahabi al-Harbi.

Al-Fadhli and al-Harbi facilitate the movement of funds and operatives through Iran on behalf of the global terror network. Both men are wanted by Saudi authorities in connection with their terror activities, and al-Fadhli is also wanted in Kuwait on terrorism-related charges.

Al-Fadhli reportedly has replaced Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil (better known as Yasin al-Suri) as al-Qaeda's senior facilitator and financier in Iran. Al-Fadhli was among the few trusted al-Qaeda leaders who received advance notification that terrorists would strike the United States on September 11, 2001. He raised money to finance the October 6, 2002 attack on the French ship MV Limburg off the coast of Yemen, which killed one, injured four crew-members, and spilled 50,000 barrels of crude oil along 45 miles of coastline.

In February 2003, al-Fadhli and three other suspects were convicted by a Kuwaiti court and sentenced to five years imprisonment for funding terrorist activities and military training in Afghanistan for terror strikes. In June 2005, Saudi authorities placed him on their list of wanted terrorists in connection with a series of al-Qaeda attacks in the Kingdom. On February 15, 2005, the U.S. Treasury Department designated al-Fadhli as terrorist.

Al-Qaeda elements in Iran, led by al-Fadhli, are working to move fighters and money through Turkey to support al-Qaeda-affiliated activists in Syria. Al-Fadhli also is leveraging his extensive network of Kuwaiti jihadist donors to send money to Syria via Turkey.

Besides, he has assisted al-Qaeda in moving multiple operatives from Pakistan via Iran and Turkey to destinations in Europe, North Africa, and Syria, and is believed likely to continue moving trained al-Qaeda operatives to reinforce and gain influence in these areas.

Born in Kuwait, Al-Fadhli, 31, used the aliases Muhsin Fadhil 'Ayyid al Fadhli, Muhsin Fadil Ayid Ashur al Fadhli, Abu Majid Samiyah, and Abu Samia.

Al-Harbi, 26, facilitates the travel of extremists to Afghanistan or Iraq via Iran on behalf of al­-Qaeda and is believed to have sought funds to support al-Qaeda attacks.

He was previously placed on the Saudi Interior Ministry's January 9, 2011 list of wanted terrorists and was charged with traveling to Afghanistan to join al­-Qaeda and providing technical support on the Internet to the terrorist group. Born in Saudi Arabia, he has used the aliases Abu Ali Muharib, Adel Radhi Sager Alharbi, and Muharib.

More information about these individuals is located on the Rewards for Justice web site at www.rewardsforjustice.net. The State Department in a press release appealed to those with information on these individuals to contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, any U.S. military base, or Rewards for Justice via the website (www.rewardsforjustice.net), e-mail (RFJ@state.gov), or mail (Rewards for Justice, Washington, DC 20520-0303, USA). Individuals in Afghanistan may call the RFJ tip line at 0700 108 600. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

The Rewards for Justice program is administered by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid more than $100 million to more than 70 people who provided actionable information that put terrorists behind bars or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide.

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