U.S. announces $5 million reward for intelligence on al-Qaeda leader in Arabian Peninsula

The United States has announced a $5 million reward for providing any credible information about one of the leaders of the terrorist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Ibrahim al-Banna, known among the fighters by the alias Abu Ayman al-Masri.

Funds for information provided about al-Banna were provided through a special Reward for Justice program. The said AQAP ringleader was listed by the U.S. State Department as one of the most dangerous and wanted terrorists in the world in 2017.

Al-Masri, an Egyptian national, was one of the leaders of the extremist group Egyptian Islamic Jihad, based in Yemen, in the 1990s. He was among the founders of AQAP and is considered to be the last of the most authoritative leaders of this cell of the al-Qaida terrorist network. Within AQAP, al-Banna was in charge of educating and training radical battle groups and directing intelligence operations. He was considered an expert at forging passports and other documents, which allowed many terrorists to travel between countries.

Al-Banna has been reported killed several times over the years, particularly in special operations in northern Syria and Yemen, but recent reports indicate the terrorist mastermind is still alive and likely hiding in Yemeni territory.