Liban Haji Mohamed Placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced today the addition of Liban Haji Mohamed to the Most Wanted Terrorists list. Liban Haji Mohamed has been charged by complaint with providing material support and resources to a designated terrorist organization. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Mohamed.
Liban Haji Mohamed is wanted in connection with providing material support to Harakat Shabaab Al-Mujahidin, also known as al Shabaab, and al Qaeda. Al Shabaab is a Somali-based insurgent and terrorist group whose senior leadership is believed to have trained and fought in Afghanistan. Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for many bombings in Somalia and Uganda and is known to have recruited westerners. The U.S. Department of State designated al Qaeda as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 1999, and al Shabaab as an FTO in 2008. Mohamed was a close associate of convicted terrorist Zachary Chesser, who was sentenced in February 2011, to 25 years in prison for attempted material support to al Shabaab.
Liban Haji Mohamed is a Somali-born naturalized U.S. citizen. Traveling with his U.S. passport, Mohamed is believed to have left the U.S. on or about July 5, 2012, with the intent to join al Shabaab in East Africa. On July 16, 2012, Interpol, the world’s largest international police organization, issued a blue notice for Mohamed in order to collect additional information about his identity, location, and activities in relation to crime. On August 15, 2014, Interpol issued a red notice to seek Mohamed as a wanted fugitive.
Born January 4, 1986, Liban Haji Mohamed speaks English, Somali, and Arabic. He is a black male, 6’0” tall (182.88 cm), 194 pounds (87 kg), with black hair and brown eyes. Mohamed could be using aliases of Abu Ayrow, Shirwa or Shirwac, Qatiluhum, and Qatil. Before departing the U.S., Mohamed worked as a taxicab driver and lived in the Northern Virginia suburbs of the Washington, D.C. area.
A federal warrant for Mohamed’s arrest was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia on January 29, 2015.
With the addition of Liban Haji Mohamed, there are currently 31 individuals on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. Individuals on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list have been charged in the U.S. for their alleged involvement in various terrorist attacks or planned attacks around the world against U.S. interests or persons.
Individuals with information concerning Liban Haji Mohamed are asked to contact the FBI or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. Tips can be submitted anonymously at tips.fbi.gov.
