Washington, January 15: The United States on Thursday released two digitally enhanced photos of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and 17 other top terror suspects.
Using sophisticated digital enhancement techniques, forensic artists at the FBI’s laboratory in Virginia have age-progressed old photos of terrorist suspects listed on the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice website. Fourteen of these suspects are also being sought by the FBI.
The Rewards for Justice website offers monetary rewards for information leading to the apprehension and/or conviction of these suspects, usually those rewards are at least several million. The reward for Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, is up to $25 million.
The new age-progressed photos of the 18 terror suspects shed a new light on their current — possible — appearance. FBI forensic artists modified the suspects’ facial features to show what they might look like today. In other cases, their features have been modified to show how they might appear with different grooming and clothing choices.
“These new images are powerful examples of how advances in technology and science can be used to help find and bring to justice wanted persons,” said Louis E. Grever, Executive Assistant Director for the FBI’s Science and Technology Branch. “The FBI has and will continue to apply cutting-edge forensic, biometric, and technical capabilities to our most challenging cases. Together with our many partners, both here and abroad, we now call on the public to help us locate and take into custody those who threaten us.”
Federal investigators hope the updated images will enable the public to better identify these wanted suspects.
“It is our hope that these digitally enhanced images will help someone recognize these terrorist suspects and then contact the Rewards for Justice program with information that leads to their apprehension,” said Robert Eckert, assistant director for Diplomatic Security’s Threat Information and Analysis Directorate, which oversees the Rewards for Justice program.
The updated photos and information about Rewards for Justice’s terrorist suspects may be viewed on the Rewards for Justice website: www.rewardsforjustice.net.
Below is a list of terrorist suspects for which new, digitally-enhanced photos have been released.
1. Jamal Mohammad al-Badawi — wanted in connection with the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 American sailors.
2. Umar Patek — wanted in connection with the 2002 bombings in Bali, which killed 202 people including 7 U.S. citizens.
3. Saif al-Adel — wanted in connection with the August 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. al-Adel is believed to be a high-ranking member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), an al-Qaeda affiliate.
4. Adnan G. el Shukrijumah — wanted in connection with possible threats against the United States.
5. Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah — wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.
6. Ahmed Mohamed Hamed Ali — wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.
7. Anas al-Liby — wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.
8. Faker Ben Abdelaziz Boussora — wanted for his extensive connections to radical Islamic extremism and authorities fear he may want to participate in a terrorist attack in either Canada or the United States.
9. Osama bin Laden — wanted in connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks and for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. He is also believed to be the leader of al-Qaeda.
10. Ali Atwa — wanted for his role in the June 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847. Atwa is believed to be a member of the terrorist organization Lebanese Hizballah.
11. Hasan Izz-al-Din — wanted for his role in the June 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847. Atwa is believed to be a member of the terrorist organization Lebanese Hizballah.
12. Abdul Rahman Yasin — wanted for his role in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, which killed 6 people and injured more than 1,000 people.
13. Ahmad Ibrahim al-Mughassil — wanted in connection with the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 U.S. service men and one Saudi citizen. More than 370 people were injured.
14. Ibrahim Salih Mohammed al-Yacoub — wanted in connection with the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 U.S. service men and one Saudi citizen. More than 370 people were injured.
15. Dulmatin — wanted in connection with the 2002 bombings in Bali, which killed 202 people including 7 U.S. citizens.
16. Atiyah Abd al-Rahman — wanted for his relations to al-Qaeda. al-Rahman was appointed by Osama bin Laden as the al-Qaeda emissary in Iran.
17. Mohammed Ali Hamadei — wanted for his role in the June 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847. Atwa is believed to be a member of the terrorist organization Lebanese Hizballah.
18. Mullah Omar — wanted for his role as a Taliban leader, and sheltering Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda members prior to the September 11 attacks.
–Agencies–