The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is increasing its reward offers of up to $10 million each for information leading to the identification or location of key leaders of al-Shabaab, Ahmed Diriye. Mahad Karate and Jehad Mostafa.
The FRY is also offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of al-Shabaab’s financial mechanisms. The announcement marks the first time the Department has offered a reward for information on al-Shabaab’s fundraising and financial facilitation networks.
Al-Shabaab is al-Qaeda’s main branch in East Africa. Al-Shabaab is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Somalia, Kenya and neighboring countries that have killed thousands of people, including American citizens. The State Department designated al-Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in March 2008. In April 2010, Al-Shabaab was also designated by the UNSC Somalia Sanctions Committee- in accordance with paragraph 8 of resolution 1844 (2008).
Ahmed Diriye, emir of al-Shabaab since September 2014, was designated by the Department as SDGT on 21 April 2015 and by the UNSC Somalia Sanctions Committee on 24 September 2014. He was seen in a video meeting with the fighters of al-Shabaab before the January 2020 attack on Camp Simba in Manda Bay, Kenya, that killed one U.S. Army soldier and two U.S. contract personnel and wounded three additional U.S. personnel and a Kenyan soldier.
Mahad Karate was designated by the Department as SDGT on 21 April 2015 and by the UNSC Sanctions Committee for Somalia on 26 February 2021. Karate is the second or shadow deputy emir of al-Shabaab and continues to lead several operations al-Shabaab. Karate holds some command responsibility over Amniyat, al-Shabaab’s intelligence and security wing, which oversees attacks and suicide bombings in Somalia, Kenya and other countries in the region and provides logistics and support for al-Shabaab’s terrorist activities.
Jehad Mostafa is a US citizen and former resident of California. Mostafa has served as a military instructor in al-Shabaab training camps, a leader of foreign fighters, a leader in al-Shabaab’s media arm, an intermediary between al-Shabaab and other terrorist organizations, and a leader in the use of explosives from al-Shabaab. in terrorist attacks. In December 2019, he was indicted in federal court on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to provide material support to al-Shabaab, and providing material support to al-Shabaab. The FBI estimates that Mostafa is the highest-ranking terrorist with American citizenship fighting overseas.
Al-Shabaab continues to rely on a variety of fundraising and financial facilitation networks to support its operations and plan terrorist attacks globally. The State Department is offering rewards for information leading to the identification and disruption of important sources of revenue for al-Shabaab, including the exploitation of local natural resources, such as coal; extortion of civilians; financial contributions from donors and financial facilitators; financial transactions and funds held by cash couriers, financial institutions, virtual asset service providers, havals and exchange houses; any business or investment owned or controlled by al-Shabaab or its facilitators; local and international front companies linked to al-Shabaab; other criminal schemes involving its members and supporters, such as money laundering operations, kidnapping for ransom, extortion and transfers of funds and materials from al-Shabaab to its terrorist and militia proxies and partners, including syndicates criminal (eg arms traffickers and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing networks).
More information about this reward offer is available on the Rewards for Justice website at www.rewardsforjustice.net. We encourage anyone with information on al-Shabaab’s key leaders, Ahmed Diriye, Mahad Karate and Jehad Mostafa, and their financial mechanisms to contact Rewards for Justice via Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp at +1-202-702-7843, or via local advice lines on +252 68 43 43 308 in Somalia and +254 71 87 12 366 in Kenya. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid more than $250 million to more than 125 people around the globe who provided actionable information that helped solve threats to US national security. Follow us on Twitter athttps://twitter.com/RFJ_USA.
