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巴基斯坦警方日前在巴北部地區扣押了一名攜帶手槍和長劍的美國男子，這名男子自稱要單獨刺殺“基地”組織頭目本?拉登。據悉，這名男子名為加里?福克納，現年50歲，是科羅拉多州的一名建筑工人，曾在1981到1993年期間因盜竊等罪名入獄服刑。巴警方13日夜在偏遠的吉德拉爾地區一片叢林地帶將他拘留，并在他身上查獲了一把手槍、一把長約1米的劍和一套夜視器材。吉德拉爾是傳說中拉登在阿富汗和巴基斯坦邊境山區的藏身地點之一。福克納的弟弟表示，福克納曾至少6次前往阿富汗，學習當地語言，甚至蓄了胡須，以便融入當地社會。在被問及為何福克納要單獨行動時，他表示福克納一直都忘不了9?11恐怖襲擊，并且認為軍方在反恐方面做得很不夠，所以想要自己動手刺殺拉登，或者將其活捉帶回美國。目前，福克納已被巴警方控制，但未遭起訴。
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An American construction worker has been detained in the mountains of Pakistan after authorities there found him carrying a sword, pistol and night-vision goggles on a solo mission to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden. |
An American construction worker has been detained in the mountains of Pakistan after authorities there found him carrying a sword, pistol and night-vision goggles on a solo mission to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden.
Catching bin Laden was Gary Brooks Faulkner's "passion," his brother said, noting the 50-year-old has been to Pakistan at least six times, learned some of the local language, and even grew a long beard to blend in. Relatives and acquaintances said Faulkner is a devout, good-humored Christian who requires dialysis and did time in prison years ago.
"A lot of kids grow up and say, `I want to be Rambo,' you know? Well, he is," said Faulkner's brother, Scott Faulkner, 43.
Gary Faulkner arrived June 3 in the town of Bumburate and stayed in a hotel there. The Greeley, Colorado, man was assigned a police guard, as is common for foreigners visiting remote parts of Pakistan.
When he checked out without informing police, officers began looking for him, according to the top police officer in the Chitral region, Mumtaz Ahmad Khan. Faulkner was found late Sunday in a forest.
"We initially laughed when he told us that he wanted to kill Osama bin Laden," Khan said. But when officers seized the weapons and night-vision equipment, "our suspicion grew." He said the American was trying to cross into the nearby Afghan region of Nuristan.
Chitral and Nuristan are among several rumored hiding places for bin Laden along the mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan's military and intelligence establishment generally deny the possibility that bin Laden is hiding somewhere along the Pakistan-Afghan border, as Western intelligence agencies believe.
On Tuesday, Faulkner was being questioned by intelligence officials in Peshawar, Pakistan's main northwestern city. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Scott Faulkner dropped his brother off at Denver's airport May 30, and the two discussed the possibility Faulkner would not return alive from his search of bin Laden.
"He talked about why he was so passionate" to find bin Laden, Scott Faulkner recalled, adding his brother retained vivid memories of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. "He has not forgotten."
But Scott Faulkner insisted his brother was on a rational mission.
"He's as normal as you and I," Scott Faulkner said. "He's just very passionate, and, as a Christian, he felt, when Osama mocked this country after 9/11, and it didn't feel like the military was doing enough, it became his passion, his mission, to track down Osama, and kill him, or bring him back alive."
Scott Faulkner said his brother sold all his tools to finance his trip and was prepared to die in Pakistan. He also said his brother took no weapons and had a valid visa for Pakistan. Scott Faulkner hoped his brother wouldn't be charged with a crime.
Bin Laden, who is also reported to have kidney problems, has evaded a massive manhunt since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, which he is accused of masterminding along with other attacks. The federal government has offered a bounty of $25 million for information leading to his capture.
Gary Faulkner was in and out of Colorado state prisons between 1981 and 1993, serving a total of about seven years in five separate stints for burglary, larceny and parole violations, state officials said.
Faulkner told Pakistani police he visited Pakistan seven times, and this was his third trip to Chitral, a mountainous region that attracts adventurous Western tourists and hikers. Unlike much of northwestern Pakistan, it is considered relatively safe for foreigners.
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(Agencies)
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
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