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March 20, 2013 (San Diego)--The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice program is offering rewards for information on two members of the Somalia-based terrorist organization, al-Shabaab. The Department has authorized rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Jehad Serwan Mostafa or Omar Shafik Hammami.
Jehad Mostafa is a U.S. citizen and former resident of San Diego, California. Mostafa departed for Somalia in 2005 and has served as a media expert and leader of foreign fighters for al-Shabaab, according to a press release issued today by the FBI. He was indicted on October 9, 2009 in the Southern District of California, San Diego, California, on charges of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiring to provide material support to al-Shabaab, and providing material support to al-Shabaab. Mostafa is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list. He has used birth years of 1981 and 1986 and has used the aliases Ahmed Gurey, Anwar al-Amriki, and Emir Anwar.
Omar Hammami is a U.S. citizen and former resident of Daphne, Alabama. In 2006, Hammami moved to Somalia where he joined and received training from Islamist militants, the FBI reports. Hammami has served as a propagandist for al-Shabaab, helping to recruit English-speaking youth through his writings, rap songs, and video statements. He also has served as a military commander, leading foreign fighters under Jehad Serwan Mostafa. In September 2009, Hammami was indicted in the Southern District of Alabama on charges of providing support to terrorists, conspiring to provide material support to a State Department-designated foreign terrorist organization (al-Shabaab), and providing material support to al-Shabaab.
On July 29, 2011, the U.S. Department of the Treasury placed Hammami on the U.S. Government’s Specially Designated Nationals list pursuant to Executive Order 13536, which provides authority to block the property of, and prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with, individuals and entities whose actions threaten the peace, security, or stability of Somalia.
In November 2012, the FBI added him to its Most Wanted Terrorists list. Hammami was born on May 6, 1984 and has used the aliases Abu Mansour al-Amriki and Farouk. Both Mostafa and Hammami are currently believed to be in Somalia.
More information about these individuals is located on the Rewards for Justice website at www.rewardsforjustice.net. We encourage anyone with information on these individuals to contact the Rewards for Justice office via the website, e-mail (RFJ@state.gov), phone (1-800-877-3927), or mail (Rewards for Justice, Washington, D.C., 20520-0303, USA). All information will be kept strictly confidential.
The Rewards for Justice program is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid in excess of $125 million to more than 80 people who provided actionable information that put terrorists behind bars or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide.
To view the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List please visit www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_terrorists.
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