Samurai Sword-Wielding Bin Laden Hunter Demands Share of U.S. Reward
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DENVER, Colo. -- A samurai sword-wielding American who waged his own personal quest to capture Usama bin Laden demanded Tuesday a share of the official $27 million reward following the terror chief's death.
Gary Faulkner, a construction worker from Greeley, Colo., who came to international attention after being arrested in Pakistan last year, told ABC News he had served the Al Qaeda leader "up on a platter" for U.S. authorities.
"I had a major hand and play in this wonderful thing, getting him out of the mountains and down to the valleys ... Someone had to get him out of there. That's where I came in," he said. "I scared the squirrel out of his hole, he popped his head up and he got capped.
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"I'm proud of our boys, I'm very proud of our government ... They were handed this opportunity on a platter from myself."
Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs during a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Sunday.
Faulkner, who was found with a pistol, a samurai sword, night vision goggles and a map when detained by Pakistani authorities last June, said while his quest was not about money, he deserved some compensation.
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"It wasn't about me. I wanted to bring him to justice. I'm not greedy, but I sold everything I had and I put my life on the line," he said.
And Faulkner flatly rejected the suggestion that bin Laden had been living in the high-security compound in Pakistan for years.
"He hadn't been living there for no damn six years," Faulkner said. "I absolutely flushed him out."
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The State Department said it would not comment on the reward.