After republican complaints, U.S. quietly offered $10 million reward for Benghazi attackers
U.S. quietly offered $10 million reward for Benghazi attackers
The State Department on Friday said it has quietly offered a $10 million reward since January for information leading to those behind the September 11, 2012 attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans in Benghazi.
The men died when militants believed to have ties to al Qaeda affiliates attacked a loosely guarded U.S. diplomatic compound and a nearby CIA annex in the eastern Libyan city on the anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the United States.
The attacks touched off political warfare on Capitol Hill, with Republicans accusing U.S. President Barack Obama's administration of telling shifting stories about who was behind the attacks. Democrats accuse Republicans of politicizing a tragedy.
The State Department said Secretary of State John Kerry had confirmed that the U.S. government had offered the reward - part of the department's so-called Rewards for Justice program - in a letter to lawmakers on Friday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/15/us-usa-benghazi-reward-idUSBRE9AE19B20131115
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today introduced legislation to require the Secretary of State to offer a reward of up to $5 million for information on the Benghazi attacks or information that leads to the capture and prosecution of a suspect.
"The State Department's Rewards for Justice Program exists to help the U.S. identify and apprehend its enemies, but the Obama Administration has not used it to pursue the terrorists who attacked our personnel in Benghazi," Cruz said. "This legislation enables the Secretary of State to offer a substantial reward for information leading to the apprehension and prosecution of the suspects who have been identified. U.S. investigators should have all available tools at their disposal to bring to justice those who murdered four Americans in Benghazi, including the first Ambassador killed in service since 1979."
The Rewards for Justice program has been a visible and successful element in the ongoing battle against terrorism. Since 1984, over $125 million has been distributed to more than 80 people.
To date, there has been no reward offered for the Benghazi terrorist suspects under the Rewards for Justice Program. Earlier this week, the State Department announced that they are giving out up to $5 million in exchange for info on drug lords. They did this without any new authorizing or appropriating legislation.
Last year, then-Senator Kerry and Senator Coons offered similar legislation to expand the Rewards for Justice program to help capture Joseph Kony. This bill passed the Senate unanimously and was enacted into law last year.
http://www.cruz.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=348012
Under this program, the Secretary of State may authorize rewards for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of anyone who plans, commits, or attempts international terrorist acts against U.S. persons or property, that prevents such acts from occurring in the first place, that leads to the location of a key terrorist leader, or that disrupts terrorism financing.
Please note: May. 21, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials say. But there isn't enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian court as the Obama administration prefers.
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The U.S. has decided that the evidence it has now would be enough for a military operation to seize the men for questioning, but not enough for a civilian arrest or a drone strike against them, the officials said.
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The U.S. has made preparations for raids to grab the Benghazi suspects for interrogation in case the administration decides that's the best option, officials said. Such raids could be legally justified under the U.S. law passed just after the 9/11 terror attacks that authorizes the use of military force against al-Qaida, officials said. The reach of the law has been expanded to include groups working with al-Qaida.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fbi-ids-benghazi-suspects-no-arrests-yet
In summary, based on what the website for the program says they won't offer a reward until they have enough evidence to prosecute. Grabbing someone with our military is not a prosecution so therefore it would not pay out.