I'd do it again, says Bin Laden hunter

A construction worker who left home in America on a one-man mission to hunt down Osama bin Laden said he would "absolutely" try again to find the al-Qa'ida leader, despite being arrested in Pakistan.

Gary Faulkner was returning to Greeley, Colorado, yesterday after being detained on 13 June while attempting to cross into Afghanistan from the mountainous region of northern Pakistan. He was armed with a pistol, sword, night-vision goggles, a map and was reportedly carrying Christian literature.

After being taken to Islamabad and freed without charge, the labourer, 50, was flown back to the US. During a stopover in Los Angeles, Mr Faulkner was asked if he planned to return to Pakistan. "Absolutely," he said, adding cryptically: "You'll find out at the end of August."

When arrested in Pakistan, Mr Faulkner told police he was intent on avenging the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks by killing Osama bin Laden. He sold his building tools to finance six trips on what relatives have called a Rambo-type mission to assassinate or capture Bin Laden. He grew his hair and beard to fit in better.

Mr Faulkner's family insist that he is not mad, simply determined to find the terror leader that the US military never has. "Is it out of the norm? Yes, it is. But is it crazy? No," said his brother Scott. "If he wore a uniform and called himself special ops, would he be crazy?"