Spaniard’s photo used for bin Laden poster
Lawmaker upset his face was model for new FBI image on al-Qaida leader
Gaspar Llamazares, a member of the Spanish parliament, looks Saturday at his picture published on a newspaper next to a picture of how Osama Bin Laden might lok like today
A Spanish lawmaker was stunned and horrified to find out that the FBI used his photograph as part of a digitally enhanced image showing what Osama bin Laden might look like today.Gaspar Llamazares of the United Left party said he would no longer feel safe traveling to the United States after his hairand facial wrinkles appeared on a wanted poster updating the U.S. government's 1998 photo of the al-Qaida leader."I was surprised and angered because it's the most shameless use of a real person to make up the image of a terrorist," Llamazares said at a news conference Saturday. "It's almost like out of a comedy if it didn't deal with matters as serious as bin Laden and citizens' security."The Spanish newspaper El Mundo quoted FBI spokesman Ken Hoffman as acknowledging that the agency used a picture of Llamazares taken from Google Images for the digitally altered image of bin Laden.The photo appeared on a U.S. State Department Web site rewardsforjustice.net, where a reward of up to $25 million is offered for bin Laden, wanted in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya.Llamazares said he planned to ask the U.S. government for an explanation and reserved the right to take legal action.FBI headquarters in Washington did not respond immediately when asked for comment Saturday, requesting that questions be sent to them by e-mail. The State Department told a reporter to call back Tuesday after the U.S. federal holiday on Monday.
'No similarity'
to terroristLlamazares said he couldn't believe it when he was first told about the similarity, but he quickly realized the seriousness of the situation.
The 52-year-old politician said he would not feel safe traveling in the U.S. now, because many airports use biometrics technology that compares the physical characteristics of travelers to passport or other photographs.
"I have no similarity, physically or ideologically, to the terrorist bin Laden," he said.
They do share on characteristic — both are 52.
Jose Morales, spokesman for Llamazares' party, told the Associated Press that no one in Spain had any idea that important security computer images such as the retouched bin Laden photo were built up from photographs of real people. Llamazares, the former leader of his party, was elected to Spain's parliament in 2000.
Llamazares said it was worrying to see elite security services like the FBI resorting to such sloppy techniques, especially in the light of recent security alerts like the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound airplane.
"It might provoke mirth, but it demonstrates that what we're seeing from security services isn't exactly recommendable," he said
Bin Laden is believed to be hiding in the lawless Pakistan frontier bordering Afghanistan. His exact whereabouts have been unknown since late 2001, when he and some bodyguards slipped out of the Tora Bora mountains, evading air strikes, U.S. special forces and Afghan militias.
The U.S. State Department Web site shows the photos and bounty on bin Laden and 41 others wanted for terrorism.