15 December 2000
Source:
http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=00121402.plt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml
US Department of State
International Information Programs
Washington File
_________________________________
14 December 2000
(Rewards for Justice program reaches out worldwide) (710)
By Susan Ellis
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Billboards, matchbook covers, newspaper and television
ads are just some of the media around the world carrying information
on the State Department's Rewards for Justice program, a major U.S.
government initiative to prevent international terrorism.
The thrust of the message is: "We Can Give You 7 Million Reasons To
Stop Terrorism" and it is in eight languages - possibly more soon --
including: English, Arabic, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Mandarin
and Urdu. The amount of the reward increases from $5 million to $7
million when U.S. civilian aircraft are targeted by terrorists.
The State Department official responsible for the Rewards for Justice
Program told journalists at the Foreign Press Center in Washington
December 14 that "money talks" like no other incentive to urge
terrorists' associates and family members, as well as eye witnesses
and others knowledgeable about terrorist attacks, to come forward with
information leading to an arrest.
Since the inception of the counter-terrorism rewards program 16 years
ago, he said, more than $6 million has been distributed in more than
20 cases. About 42 percent of the informants requested security
protection and another 42 percent sought relocation to another country
or region because of fear of retaliation.
The official, who declined to be identified, would not disclose the
size of the largest award, but said "People have been paid millions.
It depends on the merits of the case." For example, an eye-witness to
an act of terrorism may be asked to testify, thus warranting an award,
but these individuals are in far less danger than those who act as
informants against family members or colleagues, he said.
Most of the program's tips come from the Internet, the official said,
and they are then evaluated by government experts who make
recommendations, with the final amount of the reward decided by the
U.S. Secretary of State after consulting with the Attorney General.
The Internet address of the program is: http://www.dssrewards.net and
the e-mail address: mail@dssrewards.net. The telephone number is:
1-800-437-6371.
Personal interviews with the informant usually follow, with diplomatic
security personnel traveling anywhere in the world to meet with the
person. "Sometimes we've been able to convince people by our e-mail
conversations, but ultimately, it's that one-on-one. We try to
convince them that they can trust us. The money is out there and if
they provide information that helps us prevent or solve a terrorist
incident, they'll get the money," the official said.
One requirement is that a U.S. person or U.S. property must be
targeted as a victim or object of attack in order for tipsters to be
eligible for a reward. Whereas the program previously applied only to
attacks abroad, since the 1993 New York World Trade Center bombing it
has applied worldwide, including the United States. Individuals
working with non-U.S. police forces may be eligible, although the
police themselves are not. While the law governing the rewards program
is aimed at terrorism directed against Americans, the official said,
the United States shares information with other nations whose citizens
are at risk.
Most threats come from the Middle East and South Asia, and most reward
recipients have been associated with terrorist groups, he said.
Pakistan figures large in the picture with 43 percent of all terrorist
attempts against Americans in 1999 originating in that country.
Explaining the new thrust of the rewards program, the official said
"In the past most of our reward advertising has been after the fact,
with the East Africa bombings, the incident occurred, an investigation
ensued and it was felt it was necessary to go out and generate more
leads. The same thing has happened with many of these cases. It's been
incident by incident." Now the focus is on prevention. "We pay rewards
for preventing terrorist acts. So this campaign is saying: 'Help us
prevent terrorism. Help us save lives. And if you do that, we will be
able to reward you.'"
(The Washington File is distributed by the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
usinfo.state.gov)