Release of Convicted Murderer of U.S. Embassy Personnel

The United States expresses our deep concern over the January 30 release of Abdel-Ra’uf Abuzaid, one of the individuals convicted of the 2008 murders of our colleagues John Granville and Abdel Rahman Abbas.  Abdel-Ra’uf Abuzaid remains a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

We are deeply troubled by the lack of transparency in the legal process that resulted in the release of the only individual remaining in custody and by the inaccurate assertion that the release was agreed to by the United States Government as part of the Sudanese government’s settlement of victims’ claims in connection with Sudan’s removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list in 2020.

We will continue to seek clarity about this decision.

The Department’s Rewards for Justice program, managed by the Diplomatic Security Service, has a current reward offer of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Mohamed Makawi Ibrahim Mohamed or Abdelbasit Alhaj Alhassan Haj Hamad, two other individuals responsible for the murders of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees John Granville and Abdel Rahman Abbas.