American on mission to kill Osama held in Pak

An American citizen, who was out to kill Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, has been arrested from the Chitral region of northern Pakistan.

The Chitral region is among several rumoured hiding places of Osama.

A builder by profession, Gary Brooks Faulkner (52) was detained after being discovered in a forest in the Chitral region late on Sunday, armed with a pistol, a 40-inch sword and night-vision equipment.

According to local police, Faulkner was on a solo mission to kill the dreaded terrorist.

'We initially laughed when he told us that he wanted to kill Osama bin Laden. But when officers seized weapons our suspicion grew,' The Telegraph reported quoting Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, a local police officer.

Intelligence officials in Peshawar questioned him on Tuesday. Faulkner told police that he had visited Pakistan seven times and that this was his third trip to Chitral.

Pakistani police alleged the American intended to travel to the eastern Afghan region of Nuristan, just across the border from Chitral.

When asked why he thought he had a chance of tracing Osama, Faulkner replied: 'God is with me, and I am confident I will be successful in killing him.'