25 Million reward for Osama bin Laden is dead likely to keep Secret

If bin Laden is dead, it is unclear if any person will receive the $ 25 million reward for his capture. It is because the confidentiality of the rewards for Justice program, an inter-agency programme administered by the State Office Department of Security diplomatic.

"In view of the importance of privacy for rewards for Justice program, we cannot comment on the question of whether someone has been nominated for an award or in this or in a particular case," said Harry Edwardsa spokesman for the State Department.

Since its inception, the program paid more than 100 million to more than 60 people with information "prevented international terrorist attacks or helped bring to justice those involved in prior acts," according to the rewards for Justice Web site. Most of this money has been paid since the terrorist attacks of September 11.

The Act which started the program, the 1984 International of Combat Terrorism Act, says that "" no reward…may exceeding 25 000 $000, except as personally authorized by the Secretary of State. ""

The State Department coordinates with various military, intelligence and law enforcement authorities such as the FBI, to administer the program. After a payment has been made, the program provides a report classified at the Congress, according to the program Web site.

Matt Levitt, Director of the programme on the fight against terrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Stein, said that the purpose of the rewards for Justice program is "an attempt to highlight, expose and also try to get people to be manifesterdans where it is possible"to give information leading to the capture of persons. ?

He said capturing bin Laden is still "a long shot," Although in other cases, the program "works very well."

"It depends on island how to network", said Levitt. "More based on the family and tribal allegiances and very tightly-knit are the least likely it will work.".

Photos: Most wanted list of the FBI

Department of State administers the separate awards programs for the drug barons and war criminals. The Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs runs the Narcotics rewards program. The Office of Crime of war issues is working with the international criminal tribunals of the United Nations for more information on war criminals, for example, in Rwanda and the Yugoslavia.

With the death of Osama bin Laden, there are now 43 people on the list of "Wanted" of the program of international terrorists, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian-born doctor, who is regarded as the successor of bin Laden. Ben Laden is always included in most wanted fugitive list of the FBI.

Most of the people on the current State Department terrorist list have rewards of up to $ 5 million for information leading to their capture. Although al-Zawahiri and bin Laden had the highest levels of reward - to 25 million dollars on the most recent list - the largest payment to date has been $ 30 million paid to a person of the information that led to the death of the son of Saddam HusseinOuda? and Qusayin 2003, according to the program Web site.

Although each suspect on the list has a maximum of amount of reward, the State Department has a deliberative process to determine the value of information of a confidential informant.