US Offers $5 Million Bounty for Information on a Key Al-Shabaab Commander

The US government has offered a $5 million (Sh570 million) bounty for information on the whereabouts of Jehad Serwan Mostafa, a key leader of the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorist organization.

Mostafa, alias Ahmed Gurey, is an American citizen who leads Al-Shabaab operations, trains recruits, and directs terrorist attacks in Somalia and East Africa, according to a notice published by the Rewards for Justice program of the US Department of State.

The 41-year-old is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list and has been charged with terrorism-related crimes by a US federal court.

The US government says Mostafa attended college in San Diego, California, before moving to Somalia in 2005. He is believed to have participated in attacks against Ethiopian forces before joining Al-Shabaab around 2008. 

Mostafa is said to be a high-ranking figure in the Al-Qaeda linked jihadist group, serving key roles including as a military instructor at the group’s training camps, leading foreign fighters, operating in the group’s media wing, acting as an intermediary between Al-Shabaab and other terrorist organizations, and leading the group’s use of explosives in terrorist attacks.

US authorities have also linked him to planning operations directed against the Somali government and internationally-backed African Union forces in Somalia and East Africa.

He was indicted in 2009 with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, providing material support to Al-Shabaab, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

The Rewards for Justice program has appealed to anyone with information on Mostafa’s whereabouts to reach out via Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp number +1-202-702-7843.