Thursday September 13 10:38 AM ET

Businessman Offers $10 Mln Bin Laden Reward

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's most flamboyant Internet multi-millionaire Kim Schmitz offered up to $10 million on Thursday for information leading to the arrest of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) in the wake of terror attacks against the United States.

Schmitz, the ex-hacker portrayed in the tabloid press with fast cars and scantily clad women, posted a ``Most Wanted'' bulletin on his personal Web site, www.kimble.org.

``Spread the word, stop terror,'' Schmitz wrote in an e-mail received by Reuters.

The message contained a link to his Web site, which offers up to $10 million for ``information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction'' of Saudi-born dissident bin Laden.

Schmitz could not be reached for further comment.

U.S. investigators say Tuesday's terror attacks -- in which four passenger aircraft were hijacked and three flown in suicide missions into buildings in New York and Washington -- bear the hallmark of bin Laden, who lives as a ``guest'' of the Taliban government in Afghanistan (news - web sites).

Schmitz, who is reported to be worth about $200 million, most recently grabbed the headlines with a surprise offer to bail out ailing web retail service Letsbuyit.com earlier this year.

Schmitz was convicted of computer hacking in 1998 and since has made a fortune providing computer security consulting and, more recently, venture capital investment.

His Web site also features photographs of Schmitz racing cars, shooting an assault rifle and flying around the world in his private jet for lavish vacations with his model girlfriend and other friends.

The State Department offered a $5 million reward for bin Laden in 1998, when he was indicted in connection with bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa.

-- Anonymous, September 13, 2001