On December 22, 2011, Rewards for Justice announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to
Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil (aka Yasin al-Suri), the leader of an al-Qaeda fundraising network in Iran that transfers money and recruits via Iranian territory to
Pakistan and
Afghanistan. It marked the first time that Rewards for Justice offered a reward for information leading to a terrorist financier. The program was established by the 1984 Act to Combat International Terrorism (Public Law 98-533), and it is administered by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The Rewards for Justice Program was formerly known as the Counter-Terror Rewards Program, soon shortened to the HEROES program. In 1993, DS launched www.heroes.net to help publicize reward information. By 1997, the site was getting more than one million hits a year from 102 countries. Smith is also credited with the idea to put photos of wanted terrorists on matchbook covers. DSS agents assigned to embassies and consulates throughout the world ensured that the matchbooks got wide distribution at bars and restaurants. The
secretary of state is currently offering rewards for information that prevents or favorably resolves acts of international
terrorism against U.S. persons or property worldwide. Rewards also may be paid for information leading to the
arrest or
conviction of terrorists attempting, committing,
conspiring to commit, or
aiding and abetting in the commission of such acts. As of 2022, The Rewards for Justice program has paid more than $250 million to 125 individuals for leading information that prevented international terrorist attacks or helped bring to justice those involved in prior acts. After the
September 11 attacks, the list of wanted terrorists increased dramatically, and rewards were also increased, as part of the U.S. efforts to capture
al-Qaeda leadership. However, the plan has been largely ineffective against
Islamic terrorists. The largest reward offered was $25 million for the leader of al-Qaeda,
Osama bin Laden, and his deputy,
Ayman al-Zawahiri, which had "attracted hundreds of anonymous calls but no reliable leads." Former
U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton presented a list of "the five most wanted terrorists" to Pakistan; the list included Ayman al-Zawahiri,
Mohammed Omar,
Ilyas Kashmiri,
Atiyah Abd al-Rahman and
Sirajuddin Haqqani. however, Kashmiri, who US Intelligence officials said they were 99% sure was killed in an airstrike in South Waziristan on June 3, 2011, was removed from the list. Omar died of
tuberculosis in
Karachi, Pakistan, in April 2013. Al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in
Kabul, Afghanistan, in July 2022. == RFJ Most Wanted ==