Iran reportedly offering locals S$84,960 reward for capturing U.S. fighter jet crew alive

A reward of around £50,000 (S$84,960) is reportedly being offered by Iranian authorities for capturing the U.S. fighter jet crew alive, after his F-15E plane got shot down in Iran.

State-affiliated Iranian channels have urged citizens to “capture the pilot alive”, BBC reported.

Significant amount

The bounty is significant as Iran's estimated monthly salary range is S$255 to S$391.

Following the offer of a reward, videos apparently began circulating showing armed civilians in two southern provinces searching for the crew member.

In one unverified video, several men were seen carrying firearms and the country's flag.

The video is believed to have originated from the southern Khuzestan province.

One individual was heard saying, “God willing, we will find him.”

The missing crew is a weapons system officer.

The other crew, the F-15E's pilot, was rescued by U.S. forces.

The search for the downed crew member is ongoing.

Bargaining chip

Laurel Rapp, director of the U.S. and North America programme at Chatham House, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that Iran's capture of the U.S. military personnel would be a "huge prize".

It could offer the Iranians a "very powerful bargaining chip".

If any U.S. service crew is captured and images are shared, it could worsen the American public's view of an already unpopular war, Rapp said.

"If those images were to come forward, those would be incredibly shifting from an American viewpoint," she added.

The risk is that de-escalating the conflict after the crew's capture could make it seem like taking a hostage offers leverage, Rapp said.

Top images from Iranian press