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The United States Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program has announced a reward of up to $10 million (Ksh1.2 billion) for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Abdullahi Banati.
In a statement, RFJ said the suspect is responsible for the terrorist attack on the Manda Bay Airfield on January 5, 2020.
“The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Abdullahi Banati or any other individual responsible for the January 5, 2020, terrorist attack on U.S. and Kenyan personnel at the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya,” read the statement in part.
Any person with information on the suspects can reach the Rewards for Justice through tip lines via Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at +1-202-702-7843 (English), +1-202-975-9160 (Somali), and +1-202-718-4649 (Swahili).
In the pre-dawn attack, al-Shabaab terrorists killed a U.S. service member and two U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contractors and wounded two other U.S. soldiers and a third DoD contractor. A Kenyan soldier was also wounded during the attack.
The militants targeted aircraft and vehicles, destroying six US aircraft, including a rare De Havilland Canada Dash 8 configured for intelligence and surveillance.
Al-Shabaab militants
In a video subsequently released by al-Shabaab’s official Shahada News Agency, a spokesperson for the terror group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Manda Bay Airfield is part of a Kenyan Defense Forces military base utilized by U.S. armed forces to provide training and counterterrorism support to East African partners, respond to crises, and protect U.S. interests in the region.
“As the principal East African affiliate of the al-Qa’ida terrorist organization, Al-Shabaab is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Kenya, Somalia, and neighboring countries that have killed thousands of people, including U.S. citizens. The terrorist group continues to plot, plan, and conspire to commit terrorist acts against the United States, U.S. interests, and foreign partners,” RFJ stated.
Al-Shabaab was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in March 2008.
In April 2010, Al-Shabaab was also designated by the UN Security Council’s Somalia Sanctions Committee pursuant to paragraph 8 of resolution 1844 (2008).
