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How close did bin Laden hunter get?
Last June an American construction worker was picked up in Pakistan on a one-man mission to capture Osama bin Laden.
Gary Faulkner was armed with a dagger, some biblical literature, a pistol, night-vision goggles and a sword, news reports said.
What's more, the man was even on dialysis, CNN reported at the time. And yet somehow he managed to end up in Chitral, a mountainous district in the northern tip of the country.
Chitral  was as logical a place as any to hunt for the most wanted terrorist in the world. News reports in the years since the 9/11 attacks had put bin Laden in fortress-like environs along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Chitral fit the bill. It was connected to the rest of the country by a strip of land so treacherous that it is often closed because of weather conditions.
On Sunday night, Americans received news that bin Laden was killed in his compound in Abbottabad, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
How far off was Faulkner, whose across-the-world trek still remains shrouded in mystery?
Chitral to Abbottabad is roughly about 300 miles, according to Google Maps technology, indicating about a "7-hour" drive. Â Yeah right. To put the distance in perspective, according to Google, the two places are about the same distance as Atlanta, Georgia, to the Florida Panhandle.
Of course, much of the Pakistan route is undriveable because of foothills and mountains. The area is also said to be inhabited by fiercely independent tribes.
While Faulkner has talked to CNN in depth much of the details about his trip remain secret. What we do know is that he wants some of the $25 million reward money that was offered for bin Laden's kill or capture.
"I scared the squirrel out of his hole, he popped his head up and he got capped," Faulkner told ABC News this week, referring to bin Laden's death. "[U.S. officials] were handed this opportunity on a platter from myself," he was quoted as saying.
Faulkner also told ABC that assertions that bin Laden had been holed up in his compound in Abbottabad for more than half a decade were not true.
"He hadn't been living there for no damn six years," he told ABC. "I absolutely flushed him out."
Should Faulkner get a portion of the reward?
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LMAOOO!!! This was my laugh for the day. God Bless Humanity.
They should take the $25 million and use it to start up sports programs for kids in our US inner cities, Iraq, and Afganistan.
no not one cent.
LMFAO!
He deserves NADA!
He is a proud American, but the money should go to the the families of the 9/11 victims or to rebuilding.
That is a terrific idea.
9/11 victims has got plenty by now in millions. Please use it to pay our debt or give it to the seal who risked their life in killing osama.
money should go to families of innocent Afghans who got killed by the US military for no reasons. Over 2 hundred thousand Afghans got killed by the US military. Not a single Afghan Was responsible for 9/11
Agreed with "Really?". This absolutely makes my day and puts a smile on my face. The crazy people of this earth are freakin' awesome. And I seriously agree that he deserves a portion of the reward money. Give the old bogey a dollar 😀
I knew it, I just knew it. I knew where Bin Laden was, but I was afraid to say anything because I didn't think anyone would believe me. So, I think I should see some of that reward money too. My mom will back me up on this one.
"some biblical literature"??? Did he also have some holy water and a wooden stake?
This is too good, haha...
I THINK PRIOR TO GIVING UP THAT KIND OD CASH ,WE SHOULD SEE THE PROFE THAT HE IS DEAD.
Give him a million in pennies and tell him its 25. Unrolled pennies.
I want some of that money too.
I was tracking Osama using Google earth, and I was pretty close.
Dude you where in Pakistan walking around with a sword looking for OBL? That's got to be worth somthing. How bouts a free haircut?
Yes well, errr....I'm ready to believe you and that a sneeze from Chuck Norris knocked the helicopter down, as well.
The only thing more ridiculous than Faulkner's request is the quality of writing in this article. Please, do not use "Yeah right." as a sentence or even a phrase in a news article. Also, I am not surprised to hear that Atlanta, Georgia and the Florida panhandle are places with which you are familiar enough to want to use them as an example of distance. This is meaningless to almost anyone else. You are a terrible writer.
To the loony bin with this one...