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巴基斯坦警方日前在巴北部地区扣押了一名携带手枪和长剑的美国男子，这名男子自称要单独刺杀“基地”组织头目本•拉登。据悉，这名男子名为加里•福克纳，现年50岁，是科罗拉多州的一名建筑工人，曾在1981到1993年期间因盗窃等罪名入狱服刑。巴警方13日夜在偏远的吉德拉尔地区一片丛林地带将他拘留，并在他身上查获了一把手枪、一把长约1米的剑和一套夜视器材。吉德拉尔是传说中拉登在阿富汗和巴基斯坦边境山区的藏身地点之一。福克纳的弟弟表示，福克纳曾至少6次前往阿富汗，学习当地语言，甚至蓄了胡须，以便融入当地社会。在被问及为何福克纳要单独行动时，他表示福克纳一直都忘不了9•11恐怖袭击，并且认为军方在反恐方面做得很不够，所以想要自己动手刺杀拉登，或者将其活捉带回美国。目前，福克纳已被巴警方控制，但未遭起诉。
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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)
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
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