US offers $5 million for missing American, appeals to Iran
The United States increased the reward from $1 million to $5 million on Monday for helping to find an American who disappeared in Iran eight years ago and appealed to Tehran for help in locating Robert Levinson.
"We ask the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to work cooperatively with us on the investigation into Robert Levinson's disappearance so we can ensure his safe return," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. Levinson, a former FBI agent disappeared from Kish Island, Iran, on March 9, 2007, while on a business trip as a private investigator. Friends of Levinson said that, around that time, he had been investigating the counterfeiting of cigarettes, though mainly in Latin America. The FBI has been investigating Levinson's disappearance. In 2012, it offered a rare $1 million reward for any information that could lead to his safe return. The FBI increased the award by $4 million on Monday.
