Sources: Egyptian gets $27 million for Mohammed's arrest tip
From Kelli Arena
CNN Justice Correspondent
 |
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan last month.
Story Tools
SPECIAL REPORT
|
|
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Egyptian radical will get $27 million as a reward for giving the United States information that led authorities to alleged September 11, 2001, mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, government sources said Wednesday.
The sources, confirming a story previously reported in a British paper and in Newsweek, said the unnamed Egyptian was captured during a raid in Quetta, Pakistan, last month. The Egyptian was described as an al Qaeda foot soldier.
Officials said he not only claimed the $25 million award that was being offered by the U.S. government for information that led to Mohammed's arrest, but also demanded $2 million more to help cover the costs of his family moving to Great Britain. He is being paid the money, the sources said.
Mohammed, who has been linked to several al Qaeda attacks in the past five years, was arrested in a raid led by Pakistanis on March 1 in a house outside Islamabad. He was one of the FBI's most wanted terrorists.
FBI agents are continuing to run down leads from information retrieved in the arrest of Mohammed. Sources said about a dozen investigations resulted from the information, in various U.S. cities including Washington, New York and Los Angeles.
Agents are trying to find any evidence of sleeper cells operating in the United States as they run down names and other leads found in Mohammed's computer and papers.
Some of the other leads being looked into concern the money trail; agents are checking bank accounts.
Government sources said Tuesday that evidence was found after Mohammed's arrest that money was transferred into the United States after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Sources were more specific Wednesday, saying the transfers happened in November 2001.
