THE United States government has placed a $5 million bounty on a Somali-born spokesman of the Al-Shabaab militant group, Ali Mohamed Rage.
The US State Department said in a statement, yesterday, the money was offered by the US Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program administered by the Diplomatic Security Service.
The statement read: “RFJ is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the identification or location of Al-Shabaab key leader, Ali Mohamed Rage.
“Rage, also known as Ali Dheere, has been Al-Shabaab’s chief spokesperson since May 2009 and is a senior leader of the terrorist organization.
“Rage, who was born in the Hawlwadag district of Mogadishu, Somalia in 1966, has been involved in the planning of attacks in Kenya and Somalia.
“On August 6, 2021, the Department of State designated Rage as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
“That designation, among other consequences, blocks all property and interests in property belonging to Rage and may expose persons who engage in certain transactions with Rage to designation.
“Furthermore, any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant financial transaction or provides significant financial services for Rage could be subject to US correspondent account or payable-through account sanctions.”
