On May 8, 2004, “A recording attributed to Bin Laden showed him offering rewards in gold for killing top American and United Nations officials or citizens of any country which had troops in Iraq. The 20-minute audio message, posted on two Islamist websites, promised 10kg (22lb) of gold for the death of Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, or Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN envoy to Iraq. Given gold prices at the time, the reward would have been worth around £70,000. ‘Due to the security situation, rewards will be handed over at the first possible opportunity,’ the voice said.”
– Rowenna Davis, “Bin Laden: The War in His Words,” The Guardian, May 2, 2011