FBI Most Wanted Terrorists

Banner used by the FBI since inception on October 10, 2001 as the main title for the web site pages of both the group of wanted terrorists, and also on the wanted poster of each terrorist fugitive. The three overlapping seals on the left are the seal of the U.S. Department of State (similar to the Great Seal of the United States), the seal of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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, former 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 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.

Photo	Name	Terrorist Activity	Date of Activity
	Imad Mughniyah	TWA Flight 847	June 14, 1985
	Status: Assassinated in a car bombing on February 12, 2008 in Damascus.; no longer listed as of April 24, 2008.
Hassan Izz Al-Din Hassan Izz Al-Din	Hassan Izz-Al-Din	TWA Flight 847	June 14, 1985
	Status: At large.
	Ali Atwa	TWA Flight 847	June 14, 1985
	Status: At large.
Abdul Rahman Yasin in 2002	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.
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed	Khalid Shaikh Mohammed	Bojinka plot	1994–1995
	Status: Captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003; no longer listed as of February 23, 2006.
Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil	Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil	Khobar Towers bombing	June 25, 1996
	Status: At large
Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie	Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie	Khobar Towers bombing	June 25, 1996
	Status: At large
Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub	Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub	Khobar Towers bombing	June 25, 1996
	Status: At large
Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser	Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser	Khobar Towers bombing	June 25, 1996
	Status: At large
Muhammad Atef	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.
	Osama bin Laden	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: At large. Also wanted for his claimed responsibility in the September 11, 2001 attacks., although this reason is not stated on the most wanted list.
	Ayman Al-Zawahiri	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: At large
Fazul Abdullah Mohammed	Fazul Abdullah Mohammed	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: At large
Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil	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; no longer listed as of February 23, 2006.
Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam	Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: Killed January 1, 2009, in an unmanned predator strike in Pakistan along with Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan. No longer listed as of November 24, 2009.
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani	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.
Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan	Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: Killed January 1, 2009, in an unmanned aerial strike in Pakistan along with Fahid Mohammed Ali Musallam. No longer listed as of November 24, 2009.
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah	Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: At large.
Anas Al-Liby Anas Al-Liby	Anas Al-Liby	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: At large.
Saif Al-Adel Saif Al-Adel	Saif Al-Adel	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: At large. Believed to be in Iran.
Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali	Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali	1998 United States embassy bombings	August 7, 1998
	Status: At large.
Mushin Musa Matwalli Atwah	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. Was removed from the list by October 20, 2006; Atwah's death was confirmed by US officials on October 24, 2006, following DNA testing.

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:

• USS Cole bombing in 2000, which killed 17 American sailors and wounded 40 on October 12, 2000 off the port coast of Aden, Yemen
• September 11, 2001 attacks in Manhattan, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania

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:

• The Buffalo Six, a Buffalo, New York cell, or Lackawanna Cell, exposed September 2002
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges for plots based from Syria since 1995
• Abu Sayyaf Group kidnappings and murders of foreign nationals in the Philippines

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

Photo	Name	Terrorist Activity	Date of Activity
Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi	Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi	USS Cole bombing	October 12, 2000
	Status: At large
Jaber A. Elbaneh	Jaber A. Elbaneh	Buffalo Six	2002
	Status: Captured in Yemen on May 20, 2007. Still listed as wanted as of March 20, 2010.

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. 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:

Photo	Name	Terrorist Activity	Date of Activity
Mohammed Ali Hamadei Mohammed Ali Hamadei	Mohammed Ali Hamadei	TWA Flight 847	June 14, 1985
	Status: At large
	Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah	Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on RICO	Since 1995
	Status: At large.
Abd Al Aziz Awda Abd Al Aziz Awda	Abd Al Aziz Awda	Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on RICO	Since 1995
	Status: At large.
Khadafi Abubakar Janjalani	Khadafi Abubakar Janjalani	Abu Sayyaf kidnaps & murders in the Philippines	Early 1990s - 2000s
	Status: Died of gunshot wounds on September 4, 2006. Philippine marines found the remains of his body on December 27, 2006. Death was confirmed by DNA testing on January 20, 2007 Listed as deceased as of January 22, 2007. Removed from list as of February 21.
Isnilon Totoni Hapilon	Isnilon Totoni Hapilon	Abu Sayyaf kidnaps & murders in the Philippines	Early 1990s - 2000s
	Status: At large

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. 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.

Photo	Name	Terrorist Activity	Date of Activity
Adam Yahiye Gadahn	Adam Yahiye Gadahn	Treason	2003–Present
	Status: At large.

Addition April 21, 2009

On April 21, 2009 Daniel Andreas San Diego was added to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list in connection with two Animal Liberation Brigade bombings in Northern California in 2003. He is the second United States citizen, and the first domestic terrorist, to appear on the list.

Photo	Name	Terrorist Activity	Date of Activity
Daniel Andreas San Diego Daniel Andreas San Diego	Daniel Andreas San Diego	Chiron and Shaklee bombings	August 28, 2003 September 26, 2003
	Status: At large.

Additions November 2, 2009

Photo	Name	Terrorist Activity	Date of Activity
Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso	Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso	USS Cole bombing	October 12, 2000
	Status: At large. Sought for his role in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were killed.
	Husayn Al-Umari	Pan Am Flight 830 Bombing	August 11, 1982
	Status: At large. is wanted in connection with the 1982 bombing of Pan Am Flight 830.

Additions December 3, 2009

Photo	Name	Terrorist Activity	Date of Activity
	Wadoud Muhammad Hafiz Al-Turki	Pan Am Flight 73	September 5, 1986
	Status: At large. Wanted for his role in the hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73.
	Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim	Pan Am Flight 73	September 5, 1986
	Status: Deceased. Wanted for his role in the hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73.
	Muhammad Abdullah Khalil Hussain Ar-Rahayyal	Pan Am Flight 73	September 5, 1986
	Status: At large. Wanted for his role in the hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73.
	Muhammad Ahmed Al-Munawar	Pan Am Flight 73	September 5, 1986
	Status: At large. Wanted for his role in the hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73.

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

• Terrorist incidents
• War on Terror
• Weapons of mass destruction
• The World's 10 Most Wanted

Captured al-Qaeda terrorists

• Abu Faraj al-Libbi
• Mustafa Setmariam Nasar
• Abu Zubaydah

External links

• DSS Rewards for Justice
• FBI Most Wanted Terrorists currently listed page