The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has renewed its appeal for information about Afghan-American businessman Mahmood Shah Habibi, who disappeared in Kabul four years ago and remains missing.
The FBI issued the appeal on Monday, August 10, marking the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance. Michael Burgwald, head of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, urged anyone with information about Habibi’s whereabouts to contact the agency.
Habibi disappeared on August 10, 2022, after he was taken from his vehicle near his home in Kabul along with his driver. According to the FBI, Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence detained the two men along with 29 other employees of Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company where Habibi worked as a consultant.
Habibi previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation. The FBI says he has not been heard from since his reported detention. The Taliban authorities have not publicly provided information about his whereabouts or condition.
According to the FBI, all but Habibi and one other detainee were later released. The circumstances surrounding Habibi’s disappearance and continued detention remain unclear.
The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $5 million for information that leads to Habibi’s location, recovery and return.
The FBI said information can be submitted through its official channels and that confidentiality is available to those providing information.
The renewed appeal comes as Habibi’s family marks four years without information about his fate. The FBI said it remains committed to locating him and bringing him home.
