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The Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Most Wanted Terrorists" is a list of fugitives who have been indicted by sitting Federal Grand Juries in the United States district courts, for alleged crimes of terrorism. The initial list was formed in late 2001 in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and contained the names of 22 terrorists. It was the second major "wanted" list following the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. It now serves as a companion to that earlier list, which in years past, had listed several major terrorist fugitives.
List of initial 22 wanted terrorist fugitives
In response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, President Bush released to the public this initial list on October 10, 2001 of the FBI's top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists. The 22 terrorists chosen by the FBI to be profiled on the list had all been earlier indicted for acts of terrorism between the years 1985 and 1998. All 22 remained fugitives from justice as of October 2001. Of the 22 fugitives, only Osama bin Laden was by then already listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
On the fugitive group wanted poster, The FBI did not list the terrorist fugitives in any particular stated order, except perhaps for the consistent placing of bin Laden in the number one position of the top row. However, the 22 fugitives can easily fit into distinct categories of terrorist attacks over the two decades, based on each fugitive's indictment history. For organization and ease of reference here, the relevant major terrorist attacks are listed by date below, with a brief summary for each, identifying the terror cells most directly responsible for the attack. The 22 fugitives on the list are then grouped beneath the attack for which each terrorist was first indicted.[1]
| Photo |
Name |
Terrorist Activity |
Date of Activity |
|
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Imad Mughniyah |
TWA Flight 847 |
June 14, 1985 |
| Status: Killed in a car bombing on February 13, 2008. No longer listed as of April 24, 2008. |
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Hassan Izz-Al-Din |
TWA Flight 847 |
June 14, 1985 |
| Status: At large |
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Ali Atwa |
TWA Flight 847 |
June 14, 1985 |
| Status: At large |
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Abdul Rahman Yasin |
1993 World Trade Center bombing |
February 26, 1993 |
| Status: At large. Constructed bombs in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Yasin was allegedly a prisoner of Saddam Hussein in 2002, but has since gone missing from Iraq.[citation needed] |
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Khalid Shaikh Mohammed |
Bojinka plot |
1994-1995 |
| Status: captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003; no longer listed as of February 23, 2006 |
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Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil |
Khobar Towers bombing |
June 25, 1996 |
| Status: At large |
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Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie |
Khobar Towers bombing |
June 25, 1996 |
| Status: At large |
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Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub |
Khobar Towers bombing |
June 25, 1996 |
| Status: At large |
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Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser |
Khobar Towers bombing |
June 25, 1996 |
| Status: At large |
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Muhammad Atef |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: Killed in Afghanistan on November 14, 2001 by a Predator missile attack on his home outside of Kabul; no longer listed as of February 23, 2006 |
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Osama bin Laden |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: At large |
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Ayman al-Zawahiri |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: At large |
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Fazul Abdullah Mohammed |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: Possibly killed in Somalia, January 8th, 2007, by an AC-130 gunship attack led by the cooperation of U.S. and Ethiopian forces, also possibly at large. |
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Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: General consensus among terrorism experts is he was captured in Pakistan in 2004, although there has been no confirmation or denial. Removed from the list February 23, 2006 |
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Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: At large |
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Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: Captured in Pakistan on July 25, 2004; no longer listed as of February 23, 2006 |
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Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: Listed as a possible CIA "Secret Prisoner" by Amnesty International. Remains on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list. |
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Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: At large. |
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Anas Al-Liby |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: At large. Believed to be in Africa |
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Saif Al-Adel |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: Unknown. Rumored to have been arrested in Iran.[citation needed] |
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Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: At large. He is currently thought to be in Somalia, under the protection of the Islamic militia. |
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Mushin Musa Matwalli Atwah |
1998 United States embassy bombings |
August 7, 1998 |
| Status: Killed April 12, 2006 along with 6 other militants by Pakistani forces in a helicopter gunship raid on the village of Naghar Kalai near the Afghan border. Villagers reported that armed men removed the bodies.[2] Was removed from the list by October 20, 2006; Atwah's death was confirmed by US officials on October 24, 2006, following DNA testing.[3] |
FBI Seeking Information - War on Terrorism list
Whereas the Most Wanted Terrorists list is reserved for terrorist fugitives who have been indicted by federal grand juries, the FBI recognized a further need to achieve a much quicker response time in order to prevent any future attacks which may be in the current planning stages. To enlist the public's help in this effort, the FBI sought a way to deliver the early known suspected terror attack information, often very limited, out to the public as quickly as possible. So, on January 17, 2002, the third major FBI wanted list was first released, which has now become known as the FBI Seeking Information - War on Terrorism list.
As the name of this list implies, the FBI's intent is to acquire any critical information from the public, as soon as possible, about the suspected terrorists, who may be in the planning stages of terror attacks against United States nationals at home and abroad. The first such list profiled five terrorists about whom little was known, but who were suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in martyrdom operations. The main evidence against the five was five videos they had produced, as found in the rubble of Muhammad Atef's destroyed home outside Kabul, Afghanistan.
Additions to the list
By 2006, more than four years had passed since the FBI had listed the original 22 terrorist fugitives on the Most Wanted Terrorist list. Of those 22, by then four had been qualified for removal from the list, due to death or capture. Also by then, some new high profile terrorists had qualified to be listed as Most Wanted Terrorists under FBI guidelines. Some of these new fugitives were wanted for indictments in attacks and plots that had taken place since the original list had been compiled. The original indictments had been for incidents only through 1998. But since then, the U.S. had become victim to at least two major terror attacks, which would generate some of the new indictments for the Most Wanted Terrorists, notably:
In addition, after the original 2001 list had been compiled and released to the public, the U.S. had foiled and issued indictments for numerous other plots, involving some new listed Most Wanted Terrorists. Those notable other plots involved:[4]
So in February 2006, the FBI completed two groups of additions to the Most Wanted Terrorists list, the first such additions in over four years.
Additions February 23, 2006
Additions February 24, 2006
On February 24, 2006, the day after adding two name to the list, the FBI added an additional six fugitive terrorists, for various plots and attacks. One of the entries was for an indictment dating back to the June 14, 1985, hijacking of TWA flight 847 by Hezbollah (see above). In addition, the FBI also added to the Seeking Information - War on Terrorism list an additional three persons, most notably, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the notorious leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.[5] This marked the first time that al-Zarqawi had appeared on any of the three major FBI wanted lists. On June 8, 2006, ABC News reported that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was confirmed to have been killed in Baghdad in a bombing raid by a United States task force. His death was confirmed by multiple sources in Iraq, including the United States government. Al-Zarqawi has often been confused with Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is one of the original FBI Most Wanted Terrorists on the list since 2001.
The six fugitives added to the Most Wanted Terrorists list were:
Addition October 11, 2006
On October 11, 2006 Adam Gadahn was removed by the FBI from the Seeking Information - War on Terrorism list, and placed instead on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list.[7] Also, on October 11, 2006, Gadahn was indicted on a treason charge by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana, California making him the first American charged with treason since 1952.[8]
| Photo |
Name |
Terrorist Activity |
Date of Activity |
|
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Adam Yahiye Gadahn |
Treason |
2003-2008 |
| Status: Possibly killed by missile strike in January, 2008.[citation needed] Also possibly at large, believed to be in Pakistan. |
Rewards
Since 1984, the United States government has also used the Rewards for Justice Program, which pays monetary rewards of up to $5 million, or now, in some cases more, upon special authorization by the United States Secretary of State, to individuals who provide information which substantially leads to countering of terrorist attacks against United States persons. Through 2001, $62 million had been paid to over 40 people through this program.
The Rewards for Justice Program was established by the 1984 Act to Combat International Terrorism, Public Law 98-533, and is administered by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, within the U.S. Department of State.
See also
Captured al-Qaeda Terrorists
References
- ^ "Most wanted terrorists list released". CNN (2001-10-01). Retrieved on 2008-07-18.
- ^ Pakistan: Al-Qaeda militant killed near border, Associated Press, USA Today, Updated 4/13/2006 1:54 PM ET
- ^ One of FBI's 'Most Wanted Terrorists' confirmed dead, CNN.com, October 24, 2006
- ^ Recent Escapees From Yemen Prison Added to Most Wanted Terrorists and Seeking Information - War on Terrorism Lists, FBI national Press Release, February 23, 2006
- ^ FBI Updates Most Wanted Terrorists and Seeking Information - War on Terrorism Lists, FBI national Press Release, February 24, 2006
- ^ ABC News: ABC News
- ^ American Al-Qaeda Member Gadahn Charged With Treason by U.S., Bloomberg, By Robert Schmidt, Oct. 11, 2006
- ^ American Al Qaeda Member to Be Indicted for Treason, Fox News, October 12, 2006
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