Husayn Muhammed al-Umari Placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List with a Reward for Justice Offer Announced

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today that Husayn Muhammed al-Umari has been placed on its Most Wanted Terrorists in coordination with a joint announcement with the U.S. Department of State that the Rewards for Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of al-Umari.

The following is the text of a joint Rewards For Justice/Federal Bureau of Investigation statement on a reward offer for information about terrorist suspect Husayn Muhammed al-Umari:

Husayn Muhammed al-Umari, also known as Abu Ibrahim, is wanted by the FBI for his alleged participation in the August 11, 1982 bombing of Pan American World Airways flight 830, which resulted in the murder of one passenger, the wounding of 16 passengers, and the attempted murder of 267 passengers and the crew on board. Al-Umari was one of three people indicted for the terrorist act and is alleged to have designed and built the explosive device which detonated while the aircraft was in flight from Narita, Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii.

Al-Umari was charged in the District of Columbia’s U.S. District Court with: (1) Conspiracy to commit assault and damage to property; (2) conspiracy to commit murder, (3) murder; (4) aircraft sabotage; (5) damaging aircraft used in foreign commerce (6) placing bombs on aircraft; (7) assault; (8) attempted aircraft sabotage, and (9) aiding and abetting. In 1998, a co-conspirator, Mohammad Rashed, who placed the bomb on the aircraft, was arrested and brought to the United States. He pleaded guilty to his role in the bombing and signed a cooperation agreement as part of his plea.

Believed to be a master bomb maker and one-time leader of the “15 May” terrorist group, al-Umari also has been indicted by the Government of France for his alleged role in the 1985 bombing of the Marks and Spencer Department store in Paris and the Leumi Bank.

Al-Umari was born in 1936 in Jaffa, in the former British mandate of Palestine. He is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with a medium to large build and light complexion. He is believed to have black or graying hair and may be balding. He has brown eyes and is believed to wear glasses. He has scars on both hands and his right forearm. He may possess a passport from Lebanon, where his wife reportedly lives. He is the father of two sons and two daughters. He lived for several years in Iraq. While his current whereabouts are unknown, it is possible that he is residing in Lebanon or Iraq.

He reportedly travels at all times with a firearm and should be considered armed and dangerous. He is reported to have received training from various terrorist and intelligence groups including the defunct Soviet KGB, German Red Army Faction, Irish Republican Army, Basque Fatherland and Liberty, and the Japanese Red Army.

More information about Husayn Muhammed al-Umari is located on the Rewards for Justice website (www.rewardsforjustice.net/umari). The FBI also has placed al-Umari on its Most Wanted Terrorists website (www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorists/fugitives.htm).

We encourage anyone with information on Husayn Muhammed al-Umari’s location to contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, any U.S. military commander, or the Rewards for Justice office via the website (www.rewardsforjustice.net), e-mail (RFJ@state.gov) or mail (Rewards for Justice, Washington, DC 20520-0303, USA).

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Since its inception in 1984, the Rewards for Justice Program has paid more than $80 million to more than 50 persons who provided credible information that has resulted in the capture or death of terrorists or prevented acts of international terrorism.

The Pan Am Flight 830 investigation is being handled by the FBI’s Washington Field Office (WFO). Inquiries about this release should be directed to the FBI WFO’s public information office at 202-278-3519. To share information and tips about al-Umari, please contact the Washington Field office at 202-278-2000.

Al-Umari and his associates also are suspected of having information and/or being involved in other bombing of jet liners in the 1980s and experts believe his bomb-making signature can be seen in other bombings or attempted bombing in the 25 years since his indictment.

The charges against al-Umari by the Government of France include: (1) accomplice to murder and attempted murder; (2) accomplice to intentional destruction of personal and real property by an explosive; (3) accomplice to attempted intentional destruction of personal or real property by an explosive that caused the death of one person and that caused the permanent disability of one person; (4) accomplice to possession and transportation of explosives; and, (5) conspiracy.

The alleged terrorists on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list have been indicted by sitting Federal Grand Juries in various jurisdictions in the United States for the crimes reflected on their wanted posters. The indictments currently listed on the posters allow them to be arrested and brought to justice. Additional information regarding al-Umari and the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists program can be found at: http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorists/fugitives.htm.