Washington, United States – The United States has significantly increased the financial reward for information leading to the capture of the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), signaling a renewed focus on dismantling the leadership of what it considers one of the global network’s most dangerous branches.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program announced Wednesday it is now offering up to $10 million for information on the location or identity of Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, the emir of the Yemen-based militant group. The bounty represents a substantial increase from the previous offer of $6 million.
In a statement, the program also confirmed standing rewards for two other senior AQAP figures: up to $5 million for Ibrahim Al-Banna and up to $4 million for Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi, both described as key aides to al-Awlaki.
“Al-Awlaki has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies,” the State Department noted in its announcement, underscoring the perceived threat he poses.
Targeting AQAP’s new leadership
Saad al-Awlaki was named the leader of AQAP in March 2023, following the death of his predecessor, Khalid al-Batarfi. Before assuming overall command, al-Awlaki served as the group’s emir for the strategic Shabwah governorate in southern Yemen and had long been a member of AQAP’s senior leadership council.
His ascent marked a generational shift within the group, and counter-terrorism officials have closely watched his tenure. The significant increase in the bounty reflects Washington’s assessment of his central role in steering the organization and its operational planning against Western interests.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was formed in 2009 by the merger of al-Qaeda’s Yemeni and Saudi branches. The U.S. and its allies view it as a persistent and potent threat due to its sophisticated bomb-making capabilities and its history of directing and inspiring attacks far beyond Yemen’s borders.
The group has claimed responsibility for several high-profile plots, including the 2009 “underwear bomber” attempt to blow up a U.S.-bound passenger jet over Detroit and the 2015 attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris.
Operating from a base in Yemen, AQAP has exploited the chaos of the country’s long-running civil war to recruit, train, and plot. The conflict, which pits the internationally recognized government against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, has created vast ungoverned spaces where militant groups like AQAP and the Islamic State have thrived.
Key lieutenants also in crosshairs
The U.S. bounty offers also target two of al-Awlaki’s influential lieutenants, highlighting a strategy aimed at disrupting the group’s entire command structure.
Ibrahim Al-Banna, an Egyptian national also known as Abu Ayman al-Masri, is a founding member of AQAP and has served in various senior roles, including as the group’s security chief. The Rewards for Justice program describes him as a veteran jihadist with ties to al-Qaeda’s core leadership dating back decades.
More notable is the case of Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi. A Sudanese national, al-Qosi, was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 and spent over a decade as a detainee at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was transferred to Sudan in 2012 after pleading guilty in a military commission to providing material support for terrorism.
However, according to the United Nations and the U.S. government, al-Qosi subsequently violated the terms of his repatriation and traveled to Yemen to rejoin al-Qaeda in 2014, eventually rising through its ranks. His journey from a U.S. detention facility back to the battlefield represents a significant counter-terrorism challenge.
The Rewards for Justice program, established in 1984, is a key U.S. diplomatic and law enforcement tool. According to the State Department, it has paid over $250 million to more than 125 people across the globe who provided actionable intelligence that helped prevent terrorist acts or bring terrorists to justice.