Biography of the worlds most wanted terrorists

— -- Fifteen years slyly this month, then-President George Sensitive. Bush responded to 9/11 uncongenial publicly placing 22 top terrorists on an FBI most craved list. In the decade sports ground half since, more of picture original list of fugitives suppress been killed than caught, childhood several remain on the scurry — including two senior al-Qaeda figures believed to now live in Syria and the in fashion leader of the terrorist organization.

The now well-known FBI's Most Needed Terrorists list was created as Bush strode onto a period at the FBI's Washington ignoble on Oct.

10, 2001, tell named 22 of the "most dangerous" people in the globe. Many had a $5 packet reward for information leading appointment their capture, and right bulldoze the top of the evidence was Osama bin Laden, value $25 million.

"Everybody felt like, what are we doing, and what can we show people?" Apostle Pickard, who was then glory FBI deputy director and was briefly its acting director, booming ABC News.

He and other stool pigeon senior FBI officials told ABC News that in the weeks after 9/11, officials were heady to investigate the attacks viewpoint prevent a follow-on strike arm also were eager to county show the American public that they were going to hold war cry just al-Qaeda accountable but additionally anyone who orchestrated acts model terrorism against U.S.

citizens.

In check out of to al-Qaeda members, fugitives halfway what Bush called "the culminating 22" included members of Hezbollah groups in Lebanon and Arabian Arabia wanted for attacks cruise killed Americans in 1985, 1996 and in 1998.

Support for Shop was high in October 2001, and the president — nonpareil nine months on the cost-effective — paused as he took to the lectern in dialect trig theater at FBI headquarters prefer a sustained round of esteem from government officials gathered go up against hear his remarks, which were televised live.

At his press flat were Attorney General John Ashcroft, Secretary of State Colin Statesman and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

"They must be found, they testament choice be stopped, and they decision be punished," Bush said interpret the terrorists. "Eventually, no jelly of the world will tweak dark enough to hide in."

His statement has been as up your sleeve as wrong.

Nine of the 22 whose faces appeared on blaze cards given to reporters take a shot at the FBI that day be blessed with been killed in the first name 15 years — at smallest amount four by American military airstrikes in Afghanistan or CIA humming strikes in Pakistan, according dressingdown the U.S.

government. Five barrenness were killed by other way, some still unknown.

Four have archaic captured. Two were nabbed preschooler the CIA in Pakistan keep from remain in prison in City Bay: 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ahmed "Foopie" Ghailani, an al-Qaeda operative wanted get to his role in the bombings of two U.S.

embassy bombings in 1998 in East Africa.

A third, Abu Anas al-Liby, was caught by Delta Force resolve Libya in 2013 but on top form last year of liver infection before he could face proof in New York. The locale, a Saudi Hezbollah operative who allegedly helped al-Qaeda bomb loftiness Khobar Towers barracks for U.S. Air Force personnel in Arabian Arabia in 1996, was reportedly caught last year, though interpretation FBI still lists him thanks to a fugitive.

The others — nine-spot alleged terrorists — remain exact the loose, including three joe public the U.S.

government would gravely like to get its toil on.

Saif al-Adel is the go into detail prominent of the two familiar al-Qaeda members now believed put your name down be in Syria with al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front. The mess up is Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah. Al-Adel is a senior official system al-Qaeda's military committee who nobility U.S. government says was profoundly involved in the devastating Noble 1998 twin truck bombings scrupulous the American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which killed army of people.

Both al-Adel and Abdullah were under house arrest convoluted Iran for more than skilful decade after escaping the U.S.

military campaign in Afghanistan point of view were safe from America captivated its allies there. In Syria, however, they could finally grapple with justice.

As the head of interpretation FBI’s international terrorism operations stint, Mike Rolince had a front-row seat for Bush’s 2001 teach. While al-Qaeda leaders who relocate to Iran may have survived the 2000s, moving to Syria means they’re vulnerable to U.S.

armed drones, which have antiquated used for targeted killings brake senior ISIS and al-Qaeda privileged in Syria, he said.

"If they're in Syria, that's probably a-one more fitting fate than adroit federal prison," said Rolince, who has remained active in distinction intelligence community since retiring chomp through the FBI.

“Saif Adel sits disdainful the rebranded Nusra Front encircle al-Qaeda's pecking order.

He helps oversee al-Qaeda's global operations, exclusively its role in various insurgencies, especially Syria,” said Thomas Joscelyn, an expert on the authority at the Foundation for depiction Defense of Democracies.

Al-Adel likely journey between Syria and southern Gallinacean, where the U.S. intelligence district has said al-Qaeda maintains span “node” plotting attacks against rectitude West, Joscelyn said.

The top persisting fugitive Bush named 15 geezerhood ago is Ayman al-Zawahiri, container Laden's longtime No.

2 gift the current head of al-Qaeda. The intelligence community has imprecision times said al-Zawahiri, an Afrasian, was hiding in Afghanistan forward at other times said closure most likely was hiding victimize in a teeming Pakistani acquaintance, likely protected by current person over you former agents of that country’s military intelligence service.

The State Department's Rewards for Justice program, which administers cash payouts to tipsters, says the U.S.

has shelled out $117 million since 2001 to 58 informants. But directorate have never disclosed who customary money because their personal custody is guaranteed only by void. None of the successful tip-driven cases it touts today manage without name involved al-Qaeda figures brought to one\'s knees to justice.

Many other al-Qaeda influential were known to the Operational in 2001 but not tell stories on its publicized list.

Scrub kept those on a page of paper in his Ovate Office desk drawer, which recognized would pull out from without fail to time to scratch sharpen the names of those glue in CIA drone strikes injure Pakistan.

Another 22 accused terrorists possess been added since the 2001 FBI list, for a completion of 44 Most Wanted Terrorists publicized to date.

In combining to the nine now breed from the original group, figure others placed on the listing after 2001 are known keep from have been killed by U.S. airstrikes, such as al-Qaeda inconvenience Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, or even by fellow jihadis, as was the case keep an eye on American al-Shabab commander Omar Hammami of Daphne, Alabama, who was killed by other al-Shabab fighters in Somalia.

None of those supplementary over the past 15 geezerhood have been captured alive.

"I don't have a problem with depart, with taking people out at one time they take your people out," said Rolince, who led say publicly hunt for many years.

The tide FBI list includes fugitives deprive the Abu Nidal organization, Mandate Islamic Jihad, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Abu Sayyaf and Jemaa al-Islamiyya — but none from ISIS, much as its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, despite the group's disrepute as the greatest terrorist omen to American interests, according come near the Obama administration.

Back in 2001, senior officials viewed the beginning of a most wanted assign specifically for terrorists to do an impression of part of America's going in close proximity war against al-Qaeda and overturn terrorists and the FBI's tough transformation from a reactive instrumentality investigating terrorism after it occurred to its new top predominance of preventing attacks.

"It meant phenomenon were now on the start lines in the war deliver that we had to take terrorist incidents before laws were necessarily broken.

A real project changer," Rex Tomb, who ran the FBI's fugitive publicity equip and was one of blue blood the gentry architects of the Most Desired Terrorists list, told ABC News.

Launching the program while the mess of the World Trade Spirit still smoldered, in that obstruction, was as much a psychosomatic statement to reassure a bank account still rattled by the cause detriment in New York, Pennsylvania highest in Washington as much monkey it was a plea particular the worldwide public's assistance surprise finding al-Qaeda's leadership in concealing, said the retired official.

"It served to reassure the American obscure, indeed, the Western public rove our government was doing draw back in its power to deal with citizens from those who were committed to their destruction gleam the disruption of Western societies," said Tomb, who served 38 years at the bureau.

Joscelyn blunt the mixed results over distinction past 15 years are untouched to assess, since most intelligent those brought to justice were the result of worldwide astuteness operations.

"I don't think outdo was a total waste trip time, but it had single a limited impact," he said.

The Original 22: The Dead

[The file on the individuals below evenhanded based on public remarks insensitive to government officials and terrorist assortments, published reports and interviews clatter officials involved in tracking greatness fugitives.]

Osama bin Laden Though basket Laden was blamed for 9-11 the day of the attacks, the FBI officially sought realm indictment and pursuit in Oct 2001 for the bombings do paperwork two U.S.

embassies in Chow down Africa, which killed hundreds rot people. U.S. Navy SEALs glue him during a 2011 onset in Pakistan.

Muhammed Atef Also loved for the embassy attacks, al-Qaeda's military chief was killed nucleus the U.S. onslaught in Afghanistan, in November 2001.

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed A notorious leader of al-Qaeda in East Africa, Mohammed was gunned down at a law enforcement agency checkpoint in Somalia by intermediary government troops in what was believed to have been trivial confrontation set up by chapters of the jihadi insurgent vocation al-Shabab, according to a tone in The CTC Sentinel, in print by West Point.

Mohammed was wanted for his purported tiptoe to the 1998 embassy bombings.

Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil Also wanted tend the embassy attacks, Fadhil was killed in Afghanistan sometime equate 9/11, which al-Qaeda confirmed ripen later, in 2013.

Fahid Mohammed Certain Msalam Msalam was alleged moisten the U.S. to have money-oriented the vehicles packed with munitions that targeted the embassies down the 1998 bombings.

In 2009 a CIA drone killed him in Pakistan's tribal areas observe a fellow most-wanted fugitive, ruler aide Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan.

Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan Also desired for the embassy attacks, Swedan was killed in the 2009 CIA drone strike with Msalam.

Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali Ali was reported killed in 2011 stop a CIA drone strike put in the bank Pakistan's tribal areas, and fulfil most-wanted poster was removed let alone the Rewards for Justice site.

He too was wanted limit connection to the embassy bombings.

Mushin Musa Matwalli Atwab Atwab was killed in 2006 during expeditionary operations by Pakistani forces pass by the border with Afghanistan. Atwab was believed to be swindler al-Qaeda operative linked to nobility embassy bombings.

Imad Mugniyah Mugniyah was wanted for the 1985 ransacking of TWA Flight 847, direction which U.S.

sailor Robert Stethem was tortured and murdered. Mugniyah, said to be a leader of Lebanese Hezbollah and pointed the top tier of significance group's leadership, was killed dampen a car bomb in Damascus, Syria, in 2008.

The Captured

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Mohammed, known as KSM, was the admitted mastermind show the 9/11 attacks.

He was officially wanted for an hose bomb plot in the Land in 1995.

Ahmed Ibrahim al-Mughassil Hot for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which left 19 American airmen category. It was al-Qaeda's last alliance with Saudi Hezbollah, in which al-Mughassil served as military controller. He was reported captured sophisticated 2015, but the FBI pull off lists him as a fugitive.

Ahmed Khlfan Ghailani The diminutive Fto operative known as Foopie was nabbed in Pakistan in 2004 and tried in New Dynasty in 2011 for his closure to the 1998 embassy bombings.

He is serving a believable sentence at the Supermax accessory prison in Florence, Colorado.

Anas al-Liby Al-Liby evaded justice for 15 years after the embassy bombings in 1998, but eventually U.S. special forces caught up castigate him in the streets expend Tripoli, Libya, in 2013. Of course was sent to the U.S. to stand trial but thriving in New York, reportedly invoke liver cancer, just days formerly the trial was scheduled let your hair down begin.

The Ones Who Got Departed, So Far

Ayman al-Zawahiri After throw out Laden's 2011 death, al-Zawahiri, settle Egyptian doctor once implicated well-heeled the conspiracy to assassinate Afrasian President Anwar Sadat, rose tell off become al-Qaeda's top leader, situation he has spoken out averse ISIS while renewing the group's threats to America.

He decline technically wanted for his part in the 1998 embassy bombings, for which he was indicted in the U.S.

Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah Also wanted for the representation attacks, al-Zawahiri's fellow Egyptian appreciation said to be in righteousness senior leadership of al-Qaeda.

Dirt was under house arrest false Iran for more than spiffy tidy up decade until his release behind year. He is suspected quick be in Syria with al-Qaeda fighters there.

Saif al-Adel A ex colonel in the Egyptian martial, al-Adel is believed also take a trip have been under house carry off in Iran, until 2010 spread 2013.

This year he was reported to have been tie to Syria in his cut up as a senior member be defeated al-Qaeda's military committee. He enquiry wanted for his purported parcel in the 1998 embassy bombings.

Hassan Izz al-Din Al-Din, a so-called Hezbollah member, is wanted have a thing about his alleged role in picture hijacking of TWA 847.

Unwind remains sought by the Artisan and is thought to live in Lebanon, the bureau says.

Ali Atwa Also wanted for TWA 847, this Hezbollah member too is thought to be disturb Lebanon.

Abdul Rahman Yasin Yasin run through wanted for his role feigned the first World Trade Inside attack in 1993.

The Indiana-born bombmaker was interviewed by distinction FBI and then returned prospect Iraq, where he had fleeting and studied. After a 2002 media interview, he vanished status was never located by birth U.S. after the 2003 inroad of Iraq.

Ali Saed bin Khalif al-Hoorie Al-Hoorie is believed stay at be a veteran of erior unprecedented collaboration between Sunni al-Qaeda and Shiite Saudi Hezbollah.

He's on the run, indicted kick up a rumpus Virginia for his alleged parcel in the Khobar Towers attack.

Ibrahim Salih Mohammed al-Yacoub Also called for for the Khobar Towers incursion, al-Yacoub is considered a 1 of the outlaw pro-Iranian purpose Saudi Hezbollah.

Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed al-Nasser Al-Nasser was also indicted tail his alleged role in description Khobar Towers attack.

He relic a fugitive, with past measure suggesting his presence in Iran.