The State Department said Friday that it has been quietly offering rewards since January of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any person involved in last year's attack on a US diplomatic compound in Libya. The announcement ends weeks of Obama administration silence on questions about whether it was using all available means to catch the attackers.
In a letter sent to lawmakers on Friday, the department said the rewards were not publicized on its "Rewards for Justice" website as is normally done because of security issues around the ongoing 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.
"Due to security issues and sensitivities surrounding the investigation, the event-specific reward offer has not been publicly advertised on the RFJ website," the department said in a statement. "RFJ tools can be utilized in a variety of ways, without publicizing them on the website."
A State Department official familiar with the letter sent to Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, by Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Julia Frifield 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." In the course of the probe, 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, while Hillary Rodham Clinton was still secretary of state. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the private correspondence and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Lawmakers had complained the department was not using everything at its disposal to catch the perpetrators. McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security committee, had been the lead author of an Oct. 30 letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking why rewards were not being offered for the Benghazi attackers. Eighty-two other lawmakers signed that letter.
McCaul's office did not comment on the letter Friday.
The State Department had previously ducked questions about whether rewards for the Benghazi attackers had been offered, citing concerns about identifying possible suspects. The refusal to discuss the issue had led to criticism from many, mostly conservative, lawmakers who believe that the administration has badly mishandled Benghazi and may have even attempted to cover up key details about the attack that occurred on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
据美国媒体报道，当地时间11月15日，美国国务院发表声明，证实国务院早在今年1月就悬赏高达1000万美元（约合6094万元人民币）追捕制造美国驻利比亚班加西领事馆遇袭案的元凶。
2012年9月11日晚，美国驻利比亚第二大城市班加西的领事馆遭武装分子袭击，造成 美国驻利比亚大使克里斯•斯蒂文斯和其他3名外交人员死亡。对于此类恐怖袭击事件，通常情况下，美国国务院会在一个名为“正义赏金”（Rewards for Justice）的网站上发布悬赏令、缉拿凶犯。然而班加西领馆遇袭事件发生后，“正义赏金”网站上并未公布相关的悬赏信息，国务院方面也拒绝谈论此事。 正是因为如此，最近几周，有关奥巴马政府是否采取了一切可能措施追捕凶手的质疑声不绝于耳。
15日，在一封致国会议员的信中，国务院解释称，他们没有按照惯例在“正义赏金”网站 上公开班加西领馆遇袭案的悬赏信息，是出于安全和敏感原因考虑。“由于安全原因和相关调查工作的敏感性，这个悬赏没有公开。即使如此，仍然能够采取其他多 种方式对‘正义赏金’工具加以利用。”
据一位熟悉此事的国务院官员透露，这封信是由负责议会事务的助理国务卿茱莉亚•弗莱菲 尔德回复给得克萨斯州共和党议员迈克尔•麦考尔的。弗莱菲尔德在信中承认，不公开悬赏信息的做法的确不太常见，但调查人员有其他的方式来确保悬赏信息被 “有需要的人”知晓，并且在查案过程中，“提供有价值的、可采取行动的情报就能得到现金”这一讯息已经被调查人员传播开来。
这名官员称，悬赏金到位的确切时间是2013年1月7日，当时希拉里•克林顿还担任美国国务卿。
一直以来，不少美国国会议员都在抱怨国务院没能支配一切可利用的资源来追捕制造班加西 领馆遇袭案的恐怖分子。麦考尔是国会众议院国土安全委员的主席，他10月30日写信给国务卿约翰•克里，质问当局为什么没有为班加西领馆遭袭案提供悬赏 金。这封信上还有其他28名国会议员的签名。迄今为止，麦考尔的办公室尚未就国务院的回信作出评论。