The FBI made the announcement last month almost five years after Levinson, a retired FBI special agent, disappeared from Kish Island while on an investigation for a private client.
Iran’s government has said repeatedly that it has no information on his whereabouts although Iranian police officers were with him when he was last seen alive.
“While we believe Bob is alive, we are concerned about his health,” James McJunkin, head of the FBI’s Washington field office, told reporters. “I hope this reward encourages anyone with information—no matter how insignificant they may think it is—to come forward…. It may be the clue we need.”
Last December a video was released of Levinson looking gaunt and appealing for help because he was “running very quickly out of diabetes medicine.” But such medication is normally issued in 90-day batches, so whatever he was carrying with him when he disappeared would have run out years ago. His captors were presumably providing him with more medication.
Levinson’s wife, Christine, joined the press conference in Washington where the reward was announced. She said:
“Knowing that Bob is being held against his will and not being able to help him has been extremely difficult for our family,” she said. “There are no words to describe the nightmare my family and I have been living every day.”
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a year ago there were indications Levinson was being held in “Southwest Asia” and she appealed for Iran’s help in getting information about him.
Levinson, who turned 64 last month, traveled to Kish March 8, 2007. No visa is required to enter Kish. Levinson had been working as a private investigator for several major corporations. He retired from the FBI in 1998 after a 22-year career.
The FBI said it plans to launch a publicity campaign in Southwest Asia, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, using radio and billboards to seek information about Levinson.
McJunkin acknowledged the FBI had little to no information about his suspected captors, their demands, reasons for the kidnapping or Levinson’s whereabouts. “Personally, it’s been very frustrating,” he said.
The $1 million reward is rare in kidnapping cases and is being funded by the US Justice Department, McJunkin said. He said there was no connection between the reward and the tensions between Washington and Tehran.