U.S. Doubles Reward for Information Leading to Capture of Zarqawi

Washington -- The State Department announced February 12 that Secretary of State Colin Powell has authorized the doubling of the reward for information on terrorist Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, whom it describes as a "close associate" of al-Qaida leader Usama bin Laden.

A statement issued by Spokesman Richard Boucher says the reward for information on Zarqawi's location has been increased from $5 million to $10 million.

The CIA also recently posted reward information on its Web site. The intelligence agency says it will pay for information concerning Iraq that is valuable to the U.S. government. A posting on the CIA Web site lists worthwhile information as: imminent attacks by terrorists or insurgents; weapons of mass destruction or their components; Ba'athist Party leaders; terrorists or insurgents; and missing Coalition personnel.

Following are the texts of the rewards offers:

Begin text:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman

February 12, 2004

Statement by Richard Boucher, Spokesman

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell Authorizes Reward Increase

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has authorized an increase in the reward offer for Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi from $5 million to $10 million to encourage individuals to come forward with information.

Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi has had a long-standing connection to senior al-Qaida leadership and appears to be highly regarded among al-Qaida and is a close associate of Usama Bin Laden and Saif Al-Adel.

We encourage anyone with information on the location of Abu Msu'ab Al-Zarqawi to contact Rewards for Justice via e-mail at mail@rewardsforjustice.net or via telephone 1-800-877-3927.

End text.

 

Begin text:

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

IRAQI REWARDS PROGRAM

If you have information relating to Iraq which you believe might be of interest to the U.S. government, please contact us through our secure online form [accessible at: http://www.cia.gov/cia/english_rewards.htm].
We will carefully protect all information you provide, including your identity.

To help us confirm and act quickly on your information, you must provide your full name, nationality, occupation and contact information including phone number. This allows the U.S. government to grant rewards for valuable information. We will maintain strict confidentiality.

IMMINENT ATTACKS: If you have information regarding an imminent attack by insurgents or terrorists we ask that you also contact a Coalition Force member or Iraqi police immediately.

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION [WMD]: The presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq puts at risk the health and safety of all Iraqis. The U.S. government offers rewards to Iraqis who give specific and verifiable information that helps Iraqis rid their country of these dangerous materials and devices. Rewards will be available for specific and verifiable information on:

-- The location of stocks of recently made chemical or biological weapons munitions, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, or their component parts;

-- The location of chemical or biological laboratories and factories, development and production sites, and test sites associated with WMD, or sites where these materials were secretly disposed of;

-- Weapons system plans, military orders, or other relevant documents about biological and chemical weapons, missiles, or unmanned aerial vehicles;

-- Iraqis who are able and willing to provide detailed information on Iraq's WMD programs and efforts to hide them.

BA'ATHIST LEADERS: U.S. government rewards are available for the following information on former Ba'athist regime leaders, including 10 million U.S. dollars for information leading to the capture of former Revolutionary Command Council Chairman `Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri:

-- The current location and activities of these individuals;

-- Who these individuals are meeting with and their future plans.

INSURGENCY AND TERRORISM: Insurgents loyal to the former regime, and terrorists are trying to undermine Iraq's future. Rewards are available for specific and verifiable information that helps in their capture or otherwise to deprive them of sanctuary and support, such as information
on:

-- Al-Qaida, Ansar Al-Islam, Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi and affiliates in Iraq;

-- Individuals or groups obtaining explosives and other weapons to use against Coalition forces, Iraqi police, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps members, schools, businesses, or civilians;

-- Individuals or groups providing insurgents and terrorists with safe houses, training, logistics support;

-- Individuals or groups involved in, or knowledgeable about, terrorist smuggling routes into Iraq;

-- Individuals or groups recruiting, facilitating, fundraising, and otherwise supporting terrorism in Iraq;

-- Facilitators providing documents that assist terrorists' travel to Iraq;

-- Travel agencies, NGOs [non-governmental organizations], and front companies involved in facilitating terrorists' travel to Iraq.

MISSING COALITION PERSONNEL: Rewards are available for information on missing Coalition service personnel, as well as Gulf War officer, U.S. naval aviator Michael Speicher.

(end text)