FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
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The FBI Most Wanted Terrorists is a list created and first released on October 10, 2001, with the authority of United States President George W. Bush, following the September 11 attacks (9/11 incident). Initially, the list contained 22 of the top suspected terrorists chosen by the FBI, all of whom had earlier been indicted for acts of terrorism between 1985 and 1998. None of the 22 had been captured by US or other authorities by that date. Of the 22, only Osama Bin Laden was by then already listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
No particular legal consequences flowed from the creation of and inclusion on the list. On January 17, 2002, the FBI released a third major FBI wanted list, which has now become known as the FBI Seeking Information – War on Terrorism list, to enlist the public's help in reporting information which may prevent future terrorist attacks. The information sought to be reported is not necessarily relating to any person on any of the FBI wanted lists.
Initial persons alleged to be terrorist fugitives
[edit]On the fugitive group wanted poster, the FBI did not list the persons 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 can easily fit into distinct categories over the two decades, based on the terrorist attacks in which they were, according to US authorities, involved.
For organization and ease of reference here, the 22 on the list are grouped by the attack for which they were placed on the list.<ref name="List Released">Template:Cite news</ref>
| Photo | Name | Alleged terrorist activity | Date of activity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imad Mughniyeh | TWA Flight 847 | June 14, 1985 | Killed | |
| Killed on February 12, 2008, by a car bomb that was detonated by the Mossad and the CIA as he passed by on foot in Damascus, Syria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | ||||
| Ali Atwa | TWA Flight 847 | June 14, 1985 | Deceased | |
| Died of cancer in Lebanon in October 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||||
| Hassan Izz-Al-Din | TWA Flight 847 | June 14, 1985 | At large | |
| Abdul Rahman Yasin | 1993 World Trade Center bombing | November 17, 1996 | At large | |
| Accused of constructing 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. He was not located during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. | ||||
| Khalid Sheikh Mohammed | Bojinka plot | 1994–1995 | Captured | |
| Captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003. | ||||
| Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil | Khobar Towers bombing | June 25, 1996 | At large | |
| Al-Mughassil was reportedly captured in Lebanon on August 7, 2015, and extradited to Saudi Arabia.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, he was not taken into US custody and is still wanted by the FBI. | ||||
| Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie | Khobar Towers bombing | June 25, 1996 | At large | |
| Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub | Khobar Towers bombing | June 25, 1996 | At large | |
| Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser | Khobar Towers bombing | June 25, 1996 | At large | |
| Alleged by the U.S. government to be the leader of Hezbollah Al-Hejaz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||||
| Mohammed Atef | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Killed in Afghanistan on November 14, 2001, by a Predator missile attack on his home outside of Kabul. | ||||
| Osama bin Laden | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Killed by U.S. Navy Seals in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan; announced dead May 2, 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was placed on the Most Wanted Terrorists list for his involvement in the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.<ref name="List Released"/> | ||||
| Ayman al-Zawahiri | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Osama bin-Laden's successor as Al-Qaeda's chieftain, Ayman al-Zawahiri was under indictment in the United States for his suspected role in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. The Rewards for Justice Program of the U.S. Department of State was offering a reward of up to US$25 million for information about his location and capture.<ref name=fbioeqan>Template:Cite web</ref> On July 31, 2022, he was killed by a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan carried out by the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is listed as deceased by the FBI.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||||
| Fazul Abdullah Mohammed | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Reports surfaced on June 11, 2011, that he was killed in Somalia.<ref name=oophinb>Template:Cite web</ref> Kenyan police stated, through DNA testing, that they were certain he was killed by Somalian forces on June 8.<ref name=oophinb/> Officially listed as deceased on the FBI website by June 12.<ref name=fbioeqan/> | ||||
| Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Killed in Afghanistan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was removed from the list in May 2005. | ||||
| Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Killed January 1, 2009, in an unmanned aerial strike in Pakistan along with Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan.<ref name="Two">Template:Cite news</ref> | ||||
| Ahmed Ghailani | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Captured | |
| Captured in Pakistan on July 25, 2004, and later held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Ghailani was tried by a civilian court in New York in 2010 and convicted of conspiring to bomb the American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The jury however acquitted him of all other 284 charges, including attempted murder.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | ||||
| Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Killed January 1, 2009, in an unmanned aerial strike in Pakistan along with Fahid Mohammed Ali Msalam.<ref name="Two"/> | ||||
| Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Abdullah, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Masri, was reported to have been killed in Tehran, Iran on August 7, 2020, by Israeli Mossad operatives working on behalf of the United States government. His death was reported 3 months later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His death was confirmed by the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on January 12, 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | ||||
| Abu Anas al-Libi | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Died in captivity | |
| Al-Libi was captured in Tripoli, Libya on October 5, 2013, by Delta Force commandos.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Abu Anas al-Libi died on January 2, 2015, at a hospital in New York, aged 50, while in United States custody. He had liver disease as a result of hepatitis C.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||||
| Saif al-Adel | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | At large | |
| Believed to be the current de facto leader of al-Qaeda as of 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | ||||
| Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Reported as killed in a drone strike in 2010 in Pakistan by the National Counterterrorism Center.<ref name="UPI022111">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was removed from the list in 2012. | ||||
| Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah | 1998 United States embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Killed | |
| Killed April 12, 2006, along with 6 other alleged 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Atwah's death was confirmed by US officials on October 24, 2006, following DNA testing, and he was removed from the list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||||
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FBI Seeking Information – War on Terrorism list
[edit]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 – 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 persons 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, found in the rubble of Mohammed Atef's destroyed home outside Kabul, Afghanistan.
Additions to the list
[edit]By 2006, more than four years had passed since the FBI had listed the original 22 alleged terrorists 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, the FBI determined that other people qualified for the list. Some were indicted for attacks and plots that had taken place since the original list had been compiled. The original indictments had been for incidents only through 1998. The US had been victim to at least two significant terror attacks, which had generated new indictments, 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 US had foiled and issued indictments for numerous other plots, involving some new listed Most Wanted Terrorists. Those notable other plots involved:<ref name="release">Template:Cite web</ref>
- 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 kidnappings and murders of foreign nationals in the Philippines
In February 2006, the FBI completed two groups of additions to the Most Wanted Terrorists list, the first additions in over four years. On February 24, 2006, the day after adding two names 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).
Additionally, the FBI also added to the Seeking Information – War on Terrorism list an additional three people, most notably, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.<ref name="24threlease">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.
| Photo | Name | Alleged terrorist activity | Date of activity | Date added to list | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi | USS Cole bombing | October 12, 2000 | February 23, 2006 | Killed | |
| Rewards for Justice offered $5 million for information leading to his capture or conviction.<ref name=fbioeqan /> He was killed in a drone strike on January 1, 2019, in Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| Jaber A. Elbaneh | Buffalo Six | Sometime in 2002 | February 23, 2006 | At large | |
| Surrendered to Yemeni authorities on May 20, 2007.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, after serving a 5-year sentence there, he was not given into US custody and is still wanted by the FBI. | |||||
| Mohammed Ali Hamadei | TWA Flight 847 | June 14, 1985 | February 24, 2006 | Killed | |
| Arrested by West German police on January 13, 1987, and released on December 15, 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rewards for Justice was offering $5 million for information leading to his capture or conviction.<ref name=fbioeqan /> He was killed outside his home in Lebanon by unknown gunmen on 21 January 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah | Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on RICO | Since 1995 | February 24, 2006 | Deceased | |
| Wanted for conspiracy to conduct the affairs of the designated international terrorist organization known as the "Palestinian Islamic Jihad". Shalah died on June 6, 2020, in Lebanon after a long illness.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| Abd Al Aziz Awda | Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on RICO | Since 1995 | February 24, 2006 | At large | |
| Co-founder of the PIJ.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| Khadafi Abubakar Janjalani | Abu Sayyaf kidnaps and murders in the Philippines | Early 1990s – 2000s (decade) | February 24, 2006 | Killed | |
| 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Listed as deceased as of January 22, 2007. Removed from list as of February 21. | |||||
| Jainal Antel Sali | Abu Sayyaf kidnaps & murders in the Philippines | Early 1990s – 2000s (decade) | February 24, 2006 | Killed | |
| Killed by Philippines special forces on January 16, 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| Isnilon Totoni Hapilon | Abu Sayyaf kidnaps & murders in the Philippines | Early 1990s – 2000s (decade) | February 24, 2006 | Killed | |
| Killed by the Philippine Army on October 16, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||
| Adam Yahiye Gadahn | Treason | 2003–2015 | October 11, 2006 | Killed | |
| Gadahn was removed by the FBI from the Seeking Information – War on Terrorism list on October 11, 2006, and placed instead on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list.<ref>American Al-Qaeda Member Gadahn Charged With Treason by U.S., Bloomberg, By Robert Schmidt, October 11, 2006</ref> 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.<ref>American Al Qaeda Member to Be Indicted for Treason, Fox News, October 12, 2006</ref> Rewards for Justice offered $1 million for information leading to his capture.<ref name=fbioeqan /> He was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan on January 19, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| Daniel Andreas San Diego | Chiron and Shaklee bombings | August 28, 2003 September 26, 2003 |
April 11, 2009 | Captured | |
| 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.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> News reports suggest he was captured in Wales, UK on November 25, 2024. | |||||
| Fahd al-Quso | USS Cole bombing | October 12, 2000 | November 2, 2009 | Killed | |
| Sought for his role in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were killed.<ref name="two names">Template:Citation</ref> Rewards for Justice offered $5 million for information leading to his capture or conviction<ref name=fbioeqan /> He was killed in a drone strike in Yemen on May 6, 2012. | |||||
| Husayn Muhammed al-Umari | Pan Am Flight 830 | August 11, 1982 | November 2, 2009 | At large | |
| Also known as Abu Ibrahim, is wanted in connection with the 1982 bombing of Pan Am Flight 830.<ref name="two names"/><ref>Template:Citation</ref> | |||||
| Wadoud Muhammad Hafiz Al-Turki | Pan Am Flight 73 | September 5, 1986 | December 3, 2009 | At large | |
| Wanted for his role in the hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73.<ref name="Hijackers">Template:Citation</ref> Convicted in Pakistan in 1988, but allegedly deported to Palestine in 2009.<ref name="PanAmTimeline">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="PanAmTNIE">Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||
| keft | Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim | Pan Am Flight 73 | September 5, 1986 | December 3, 2009 | At large |
| Wanted for his role in the hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73.<ref name="Hijackers"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Convicted in Pakistan in 1988, but allegedly deported to Palestine in 2009.<ref name="PanAmTimeline"/><ref name="PanAmTNIE"/> Pakistani officials claimed that he was killed on January 9, 2010, by a U.S. airstrike, but the reports have never been confirmed and he is still on the list.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||
| Muhammad Abdullah Khalil Hussain Ar-Rahayyal | Pan Am Flight 73 | September 5, 1986 | December 3, 2009 | At large | |
| Wanted for his role in the hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73.<ref name="Hijackers"/> Convicted in Pakistan in 1988, but allegedly deported to Palestine in 2009.<ref name="PanAmTimeline"/><ref name="PanAmTNIE"/> | |||||
| Muhammad Ahmed Al-Munawar | Pan Am Flight 73 | September 5, 1986 | December 3, 2009 | At large | |
| Wanted for his role in the hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73.<ref name="Hijackers"/> Convicted in Pakistan in 1988, but allegedly deported to Palestine in 2009.<ref name="PanAmTimeline"/><ref name="PanAmTNIE"/> | |||||
| Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah | 2009 New York City Subway and United Kingdom plot | September 2009 | July 8, 2010 | Killed | |
| Wanted for his alleged role in the plot against New York City's subway system, uncovered in September 2009.<ref name="Shukrijumah">Template:Cite web</ref> He was killed in a manhunt operation by Pakistan Army in South Waziristan on December 6, 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki (born Omar Shafik Hammami) | Membership in al-Shabaab | November 2006 – June 2013 | November 14, 2012 | Killed | |
| Joined al-Shabaab in 2006 and became one of its top leaders.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After splitting from the organization in June 2013, he was killed by its militants on September 12 of that year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||
| Radullan Sahiron | Kidnapping for Abu Sayyaf | November 14, 1993 | November 14, 2012 | At large | |
| Alleged leader of Abu Sayyaf since 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wanted for a particular kidnapping in 1993, but believed to be responsible for other abductions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| Assata Shakur (née JoAnne Deborah Byron, married name JoAnne Chesimard) | Murder of Trooper Werner Foerster | May 2, 1973 | May 2, 2013 | At large | |
| Former Black Liberation Army member openly living in Cuba after she escaped from a New Jersey prison in 1979. Two million dollar reward offered.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||
| Ahmad Abousamra | Attempting to obtain terrorist training | 2002–2004 | December 18, 2013 | Killed | |
| Wanted for travelling to Pakistan and Yemen between 2002 and 2004 in order to receive terrorist training.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Killed by an airstrike in Syria in January 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||
| Liban Haji Mohamed | Recruitment for al-Shabaab | Since July 5, 2012 | January 29, 2015 | At large | |
| Alleged to have departed the U.S. on July 5, 2012, to join al-Shabaab, and to have acted as a recruiter for the organization.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Detained by Somali authorities on March 2, 2015, but is still on the list.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||
| Ahlam Tamimi | Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing | August 9, 2001 | March 14, 2017 | At large | |
| Arrested and imprisoned in Israel, but freed as part of the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||
| Sajid Mir | 2008 Mumbai attacks | November 26, 2008 – November 29, 2008 | March 22, 2019<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> | At large | |
| Arrested by Pakistani authorities on April 21, 2022, then convicted and sentenced to fifteen-and-a-half years in prison on May 16 of that year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was not extradited and remains on the list as of February 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
Rewards
[edit]Since 1984, the United States government has also used the Rewards for Justice Program, which pays monetary rewards of up to $25 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. More than $100 million had been paid to over 60 people through this program.<ref name="RFJ">Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref name="RFJ"/>