U.S. government offering $10 million for al Qaeda money man in Iran
Have you seen this man, accused al Qaeda financier Yasin al-Suri? If so, information leading to his location, suspected to be inside Iran, will get you up to $10 million from the U.S. government. Suri, also known as Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, is one of six al Qaeda officials linked to Iran that the U.S. ...
Have you seen this man, accused al Qaeda financier Yasin al-Suri? If so, information leading to his location, suspected to be inside Iran, will get you up to $10 million from the U.S. government.
Have you seen this man, accused al Qaeda financier Yasin al-Suri? If so, information leading to his location, suspected to be inside Iran, will get you up to $10 million from the U.S. government.
Suri, also known as Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, is one of six al Qaeda officials linked to Iran that the U.S. Treasury Department designated for sanctions back in July. According to two U.S. officials who briefed reporters today, he stands at the center of the link between the Iranian government and al Qaeda. That’s why the State and Treasury Departments are putting out this bounty as part of their Rewards for Justice program.
“From his sanctuary inside Iran, he has moved terrorist recruits through Iran to al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has also arranged for the release of al Qaeda operatives from Iranian prisons and their transfer to Pakistan. And he has funneled significant amounts of money through Iran to AQ leadership in Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Robert A. Hartung, assistant director for threat investigations and analysis at State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. “Locating al-Suri and shutting down his operations would eliminate a significant financial resource for al Qaeda.”
The announcement highlights the U.S. government’s strategy of exposing the links between the Iranian government and al Qaeda.
“We have reliable information indicating that there is an agreement between the Iranian government and this al Qaeda network [led by Suri],” said Eytan Fisch, Treasury’s assistant director of terrorism and financial intelligence. This is the first reward put forth for a terrorist financier, he added.
But Fisch couldn’t say whether the sanctions levied against Iran-linked al Qaeda operatives in July have yielded any results. The sanctions only apply to funds held in the United States, and Treasury won’t say if they have found any such funds.
“We don’t generally comment on whether funds are frozen and if so, how much,” said Fisch,
“That kind of makes it impossible to tell whether it has actually been effective,” noted AP reporter Matt Lee.
It’s also unclear what the U.S. government would do if and when Suri’s location becomes known. If he is living inside Iran with the assistance of the Iranian government, would the U.S. government go in and get him?
“Once we receive information, that’s provided to other government agencies to handle that information and decide how to act,” said Hartung. “I can’t answer questions about what they will do with that information.”
Several reporters at the briefing noted that the $10 million reward is much higher than the “hundreds of thousands of dollars” that Fisch said Suri has alleged to have moved to al Qaeda. Wouldn’t it be a financially smart decision for al Qaeda to turn him in itself, and pocket the profit?
“In general terms, anyone is available to receive a reward,” said Hartung. He said there is some review of award recipients, but didn’t give any details.
“So Mullah Omar, if he turns this guy in, isn’t going to get the reward?” asked Lee.
“Correct,” replied State Department spokesman Mark Toner. “And vice-versa.”
If any Cable readers have a tip on Suri’s location, you can tell the U.S. government by going to www.rewardsforjustice.net, e-mailing rfj@state.gov, or calling the RFJ tip line in Afghanistan at 0800 108 600. The program has paid more than $100 million to more than 70 people since it began in 1984, Hartung said.
Other aliases used by Suri include: Yassen al-Suri, Izz al-Din Abd al-Farid Khalil, and Zayn al-Abadin. The only other two alleged terrorists who have warranted a $10 million award are Taliban leader Mullah Omar and Abu Du’a, the alleged head of al Qaeda in Iraq.
Josh Rogin covers national security and foreign policy and writes the daily Web column The Cable. His column appears bi-weekly in the print edition of The Washington Post. He can be reached for comments or tips at josh.rogin@foreignpolicy.com.
Previously, Josh covered defense and foreign policy as a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly, writing extensively on Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, U.S.-Asia relations, defense budgeting and appropriations, and the defense lobbying and contracting industries. Prior to that, he covered military modernization, cyber warfare, space, and missile defense for Federal Computer Week Magazine. He has also served as Pentagon Staff Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper, in its Washington, D.C., bureau, where he reported on U.S.-Japan relations, Chinese military modernization, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and more.
A graduate of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, Josh lived in Yokohama, Japan, and studied at Tokyo's Sophia University. He speaks conversational Japanese and has reported from the region. He has also worked at the House International Relations Committee, the Embassy of Japan, and the Brookings Institution.
Josh's reporting has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, CBS, ABC, NPR, WTOP, and several other outlets. He was a 2008-2009 National Press Foundation's Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow, 2009 military reporting fellow with the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the 2011 recipient of the InterAction Award for Excellence in International Reporting. He hails from Philadelphia and lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @joshrogin
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