U.S. offers $10M reward for Benghazi attackers

WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department said Friday it has been quietly offering rewards of up to $10 million since January for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any person involved in last year’s attack on a diplomatic compound in Libya.

In a letter sent to lawmakers on Friday, the department said the rewards were not advertised on its Rewards for Justice website or posters or matchbooks, as is normally done, because of security issues around the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the mission in Benghazi that killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

A State Department official familiar with the letter acknowledged that it’s unusual not to publicize offers of rewards, but said investigators have other ways of making sure the information is known “as needed.” Investigators have made it known to individuals that cash is available for those coming forward with actionable information.

The official said the rewards have been in place since Jan. 7.

The State Department had previously avoided questions about whether rewards for the Benghazi attackers had been offered, citing concerns about identifying possible suspects.

The State Department official said the rewards are not targeted at specific individuals but are rather “eventspecific” and are intended to solicit information about anyone who took part in the attack on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.