WHO GETS BIN LADEN’S BOUNTY?

The government has offered $25 million for information on the terrorist leader. By Ben Rooney, staff reporterMay 2, 2011: 2:37 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The photograph of Osama bin Laden on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list has a new caption: Deceased.

But it was unclear Monday how much, if any, of the up to $25 million in reward money offered on the terrorist leader has been granted.

The man behind the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history was killed Sunday by American forces in Pakistan, in what President Barack Obama called “the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.”

In the 10 years since the 9/11 attacks, the Central Intelligence Agency, the FBI and other intelligence agencies have worked to locate bin Laden, who was found living in a compound outside of Islamabad.

The use of reward money has become an important asset in the government’s fight against global terrorism.

The Rewards for Justice program, run by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, has paid out more than $100 million to over 60 people since it was created in 1984.

The program grants money to people who provided “actionable information that put terrorists behind bars or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide,” according to a statement on its website.

A spokesman for the State Department said there was currently no information on the $25 million reward offered for information leading to the apprehension or conviction of bin Laden.

But rewards have been granted for the capture of other international terrorists, including Ramzi Yousef, who was convicted in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

Rewards were also granted for information on Uday and Qusay Hussein, the sons of Iraqi dictator Sadam Hussein. In 2003, after an intense firefight with U.S. forces, both brothers were killed.

In addition to the $25 million bounty offered by the government, the Airline Pilots Association and the Air Transport Association have offered a combined $2 million reward for information on bin Laden.

Steve Lott, a spokesman for the ATA, said the association has not received any formal request for supplemental reward money. But he said the ATA could grant up to $1 million in additional funds under a long-standing anti-terrorism program with the government.

The APA did not immediately respond to calls requesting information on the reward.  

First Published: May 2, 2011: 2:08 PM ET