The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program is offering a reward of up to $5 million to persons who can provide actionable information regarding the terrorist bombing of an Alas Chiricanas Embraer EMB110, operating Flight 901 in Panama on July 19, 1994.
Bringing terrorists to justice
AC Flight 901 was a passenger flight from Colón to Panama City, Panama. A bomb detonated onboard shortly after takeoff, bringing the aircraft down in a remote jungle approximately 10 miles from the airport and killing all 18 passengers and three crew members. There were three US citizens and up to 12 Jewish passengers onboard.
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence determined that Hizballah (Hezbollah) was responsible for the attack. The RFJ is offering the $5 million reward for information that results in the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual who “committed, attempted, or conspired to commit, or aided or abetted in the commission” of the bombing of the aircraft.
Related Terrorist Attack On Turkish Aerospace Manufacturer TUSAŞ Kills 5 & Injures 22 At least five are dead and dozens wounded after a shooting at Turkey’s state-run aviation company in Ankara.
Any person with actionable information is encouraged to contact the Rewards for Justice program via Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at +1-202-702-7843. According to a statement issued by the office of the spokesperson, all information will be kept strictly confidential, and relocation may be available.
Alas Chiricanas Flight 901
AC Flight 901 was operated by an EMB 110 Bandeirante, registration HP-1202AC. The wreckage was spread across the Santa Rita Mountains near Colón, and it was quickly determined that a bomb had likely caused the explosion. After the crash, Ali Hawa Jamal, who was also onboard the aircraft, was identified as the suspect who carried the bomb onboard.
Photo: Mike_shots | Shutterstock
The attack came only a day after a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device killed 85 people and injured 300 others in Argentina. The device was detonated at the Argentine Jewish Mutual Aid Society building in Buenos Aires. A group identifying itself as Ansar Allah claimed responsibility for both attacks via a statement in Lebanon a few days later. However, the US government determined that Ansar Allah is an alias for Hizballah.
Rewards for useful information
The State Department’s RFJ is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service and has been around since 1984. Over the last 40 years, more than 125 people have received over $250 million for providing actionable information that has helped resolve threats to US national security.
Photo: Kit Leong | Shutterstock
Among the rewards is $2 million that was paid for information that led to the capture of Pakistani terrorist Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, the mastermind of the February 1993 World Trade Center truck bombing that killed six and injured over 1,000 others. Yousef fled the US and later resurfaced in the Philippines.
Get all the latest aviation news for North America here
He reportedly planned to assassinate Pope John Paul II on January 14, 1995, and to blow up 12 US airliners in Asia a few days later. Yousef was responsible for the bomb placed on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, which was a test for the larger plot to assassinate the Pope and blow up passenger aircraft.
The goal was to kill approximately 4,000 passengers and bring air travel worldwide to a standstill. However, Yousef was forced to flee to Pakistan after an incident in Manila. In February 1995, an informant saw an RFJ ad in a matchbook, contacted the US embassy in Islamabad, and provided information leading to Yousef’s arrest.
1994 AC Flight 901 Bombing In Panama: US State Department Offers $5 Million Reward For Information
