US 'Bin Laden hunter'  held in Pakistan

Islamabad, 16 June-(ANA)-An American man who claimed to be on a mission to hunt down Osama Bin Laden has been arrested in northern Pakistan, police say.

They said that Gary Brooks Faulkner, 52, was detained in the mountains of Chitral district north of Peshawar.

He had a pistol, dagger and a sword and was carrying night-vision equipment as well as Christian literature.

Police say Mr Faulkner was stopped near the border with Afghanistan's Nuristan province, a known Taliban stronghold.

They say he told investigators after his arrest late on Sunday that he was on a solo mission to kill Osama Bin Laden who is thought to be hiding in the mountainous Afghan-Pakistan border area.

The al-Qaeda leader is the world's most-wanted man, with the US offering a reward of up to $25m (£17m) for information leading to his capture. (ANA)

FA/ANA/16 June 2010-------