US $10m bounty for 'al-Qaeda man' based in Iran

WASHINGTON. December 23. KAZINFORM The United States has offered a reward of $10m for information leading to the arrest of a man they say is a key al-Qaeda facilitator and financier, BBC reported.

Yasin al-Suri, the US state department said, is a Syrian operating from Iran.

The bounty aims to disrupt a financial network that, it said, has operated from within Iran's borders since 2005.

State department official Robert Hartung said it was the first time a "terrorist financier" has been targeted in such a way.

"He is a dedicated terrorist working in support of al-Qaeda with the support of the government of Iran," Mr Hartung said, according to AP.

"As a key fundraiser for the al-Qaeda terrorist network, he is a continuing danger to the interests of the United States."

He added that Mr al-Suri - who is also known as Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil - operated under an agreement between al-Qaeda and the government of Iran, moving money and recruits through the country to the network in neighbouring countries - specifically Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

He was blacklisted along with five other members of his network by the US treasury department in July.

Mr Hartung said that, since 1984, the US Rewards for Justice programme has paid more than $100m to more than 70 people who provided credible information that either prevented attacks or helped bring those accused to justice.