A $25 million bounty that was placed on Osama bin Laden’s head for his death or capture by the FBI may not be claimed.
After he was killed, the FBI swiftly changed bin Laden’s portrait and placed a red “Deceased” tag underneath it, signifying his death.
Harry Edwards, a spokesperson for the State Department, said that the government usually does not “discuss nominations for awards,” adding that the reward is a maximum of $25 million, not a minimum, according to CNN.
“If it were paid, it could be less,” Edwards said.
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.
It is possible that no reward money will be granted. According to Obama administration officials, unidentified detainees provided a key piece of information that helped investigators locate 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.