The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program, on Thursday, September 21, announced a cash reward for information regarding Al Shabaab senior explosives experts.
In a statement, Rewards of Justice noted that any person with information regarding Abdullahi Osman Mohamed would be eligible to receive Ksh736 million ( USD 5 million).
The US described the suspect as the most dangerous individual of the extremist group linked to several attacks in the East African region.
“Abdullahi Osman Mohamed, a.k.a. Engineer Ismail, is the senior explosives expert for the terrorist group al-Shabaab,” Rewards For Justice stated.
“He is also the leader of the group’s media wing, al-Kataib, and a special advisor to al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Diriye,” the US Department added.
On November 17, 2020, the US Department of State designated Mohamed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(a)(ii)(B) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224.
They urged anyone with information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect to share on their hotline numbers: +1-202-702-7843 (English), +252-684-343-308 (Somali) and +254-718-712-366 (Swahili).
The US reward for tracking the senior Al Shabaab member came after a series of attacks in the Lamu area in Kenya.
Several houses were torched, residents injured and even law enforcement officers attacked by the militia group.
To avert further attacks, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday, September 20, announced plans to deploy special forces to the affected regions.
Northern Kenya and the Upper Coast region, including Tana River and Lamu counties were among the areas earmarked by CS Kindiki.
Speaking to a security baraza at Wayu, Galledyertu Sub-County, Tana River County, CS Kindiki vowed to honour the memory of fallen officers and take decisive action against those inciting violence amid the Tana River clashes.
“We salute and pay homage to our multi-agency security officers who have fallen in the line of duty, defending our nation and its people from criminals…Any leader inciting violence and destruction of property will be apprehended and prosecuted, their political affiliation notwithstanding,” CS Kindiki stated.
