$5 million to whom give information to US about murderer of American in Yemen‏

The United States offered Wednesday to pay $5 million for information leading to those responsible for the murder of an American in Yemen in 2012, an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda

Joel Shrum, a US citizen, was fatally shot by a gunman on the back of a motorcycle while he was on his way to work at a nongovernmental organization on March 18, 2012, in the city of Taez, according to the State Department

At the time, the department said "We condemn this terrorist act in strongest terms" and demanded that the Yemeni authorities bring to justice anyone involved in the murder

A statement attributed to Al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack and accused Shrum of preaching Christianity in the mainly Muslim nation

Nearly five years after the attack, the State Department announced Wednesday that it is offering "a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual who committed, conspired to commit, or aided or abetted in the commission of the murder of US citizen Joel Shrum

The department noted that Shrum had been an administrator and English teacher at the International Training and Development Center, "one of the longest standing international development organizations in Yemen

It also noted that a few days after the incident, Al-Qaeda's Yemeni offshoot, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, claimed responsibility for the murder

The US government considers AQAP the most active branch of the global extremist network once led by Osama bin Laden. US military operations against it have intensified in Yemen since President Donald Trump took office in late January

The State Department said the $5 million bounty comes under its Rewards for Justice program, which has paid out more than $125 million since its creation in 1984