Though most reward payments are kept secret to protect the identity of informants, the State Department says its Rewards for Justice program has led to the capture or killing of terrorist suspects and prevented attacks in the U.S. and abroad. Some $80 million has been paid out to more than 50 informants, most since the program was intensified after the 9/11 attacks.

The slaying of terrorist Khadaffy Janjalani in the Philippines, for example, meant $5 million to the informants who ratted him out in 2006—one of the few cases the State Department has publicized. Many terrorists at large have similar bounties on their heads, including $25 million for information on Osama bin Laden.

Today's mega-rewards dwarf the amounts offered for some of the most wanted fugitives in American history. Adjusted for inflation, bounties for the outlaw Jesse James and the bank robber John Dillinger would amount to less than $240,000 each today.

State Department spokesman Andy Laine says the money is a worthwhile investment: “Thousands of innocent lives have been saved through the program. Its role is not only to go after those responsible for terrorist attacks that have taken place but also to prevent new attacks.”

— J. Scott Orr

http://www.parade.com/news/intelligence-report/archive/090705-huge-rewards-for-terror-info.html