Spanish politician threatens to sue over bin Laden photo

[Ghost Dog]

Source: Reuters

Sat Jan 16, 2010 6:15pm GMT MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish politician said on Saturday that he was "stupefied" by the FBI's decision to use his photograph to compose its latest image of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and is considering taking legal action. "Firstly I will ask the FBI for an explanation, which they haven't given me yet, and then I will reserve the right to take legal action," Gaspar Llamazares told CNN+.

...

Special agent Jason Pack said a forensic artist had been unable to find suitable features from the FBI's database of photographs and used a picture from the Internet instead.

"The forensic artist was not aware of the identity of the individual depicted in the photograph," Pack said, adding that the image would be taken off the FBI website.

"I am stupefied the FBI has used my photo -- but it could have been anyone's -- to compose a picture of a terrorist. It affects my honour, my own image and also the security of all us," LLamazares said.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE60F1XB20100116

[dipsydoodle]

1. I reckon a lot look as Sheikh Osama bin Laden does now

[pjt7]

2. I hate PHONEY

DEPT'S OF PROPOGANDA.

[frog92969]

6. +1

:banghead:

[Newsjock]

3. Some more of Cheney's stay-behinds?

The incompetence is stunning.

[EFerrari]

5. Incompetence would imply they were trying to get it right in the first place.

[EFerrari]

4. FBI, making friends, making us safer, using the same skills my 10 yr old niece has.

Thank Gawd!

[alp227]

7. Shoddy work...using a look-alike photo for age progression?

That is bleeped up.

[struggle4progress]

8. It's not as ugly as the FBI attempt to frame Brandon Mayfield for the Madrid bombing, but it's ugly.

When the FBI claimed to have identified a print from a bag in Spain as belonging to Muslim attorney Brandon Mayfield in Oregon, it seemed clear that the "identification" was intended to intimidate lawyers who defended clients accused of terrorism. The FBI eagerly offered to help Spain in the bombing case, but Spain (fortunately) refused these offers of assistance in the bombing case and eventually identified the print differently

It seems equally incredible that the FBI might "by accident" have lifted from the web the picture of the former head of Spain's Izquierda Unida coalition, as their template for bin Laden

Mayfield’s Patriot Act challenge hits a legal hurdle
After years of fighting, federal appeals court says man wrongfully accused of terrorism can’t pursue case
The Beaverton Valley Times, Dec 24, 2009
... the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ... ruling, which came out on Dec. 10, months after Brandon Mayfield and his lawyer argued their case in front of the court in February, reversed a earlier judicial decision in Mayfield’s favor ... In the fall of 2006, the U.S. government paid Mayfield $2 million, and the FBI apologized, for detaining him in prison for 14 days in 2004, wiretapping his phones, searching his home when he wasn’t there and using faulty fingerprint identification to try to link him to train bombings in Madrid, Spain, earlier that year. In the settlement agreement, Mayfield agreed to not pursue further litigation, except in regards to one point: Whether his Fourth Amendment rights had been violated by the Patriot Act. After filing an amended complaint, a federal judge ruled in Mayfield’s favor, deciding that his constitutional rights had been violated ... http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=126162027569079900

Spanish MP's photo used for Osama Bin Laden poster
Gaspar Llamazares said he would no longer feel safe travelling to the US after his hair and parts of his face appeared on a most-wanted poster ... "It's almost like out of a comedy if it didn't deal with matters as serious as Bin Laden and citizens' security" ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8463657.stm

[pjt7]

9. I'm sick & tired of the 9.11 deceptions

that go on & on & on.

[Prometheus Bound]

10. Busted!

Fake, phoney, dishonest frauds

[New Dawn]

11. Notice how they are also slandering a left-wing politician?

Gaspar Llamazares is the leader of the United Left electoral coalition. This definitely played a role in their decision to use his picture.

[IndianaGreen]

12. Spanish MP's photo used for Osama Bin Laden poster (BBC)

Here is the BBC reporting on this:


A photo of Bin Laden from 1998 (left) was digitally altered using elements from an image of Gaspar Llamazares (right)

Spanish MP's photo used for Osama Bin Laden poster

Mr Llamazares, 52, the former leader of the United Left coalition in parliament, said he could not believe it when he was first told about the similarity between himself and the new photo-fit of Bin Laden.

He said he soon realised that his forehead, hair and jaw-line had been "cut and pasted" from an old campaign photograph.

"I was surprised and angered because it's the most shameless use of a real person to make up the image of a terrorist," he told a news conference.

"It's almost like out of a comedy if it didn't deal with matters as serious as Bin Laden and citizens' security."

The FBI claimed to have used "cutting edge" technology, but Mr Llamazares said it showed the "low level" of US intelligence services and could cause problems if he was wrongly identified as the Saudi.

"Bin Laden's safety is not threatened by this but mine certainly is," he said, adding that he was considering taking legal action.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8463657.stm

[wordpix]

13. the real photo of Llamazares doesn't look much like the image but

I can see why he'd be upset

[IndianaGreen]

14. It is his hair on bin Laden's head

I agree with you that he should be upset.

[DeSwiss]

17. I thought Bin Laden showed all the signs of being a fivehead all the way.....

- And there's no way he's got that much hair now. And wavy? Ppsshhh.....

[rug]

21. I knew it!. Alex Rieger joined al Qaeda.

[M155Y_A1CH]

15. Sat. AM I saw that picture on TV

And I said "That's not Bin Ladin"

I was quickly greeted with
"They say it is, and how would you know?"


Ha Ha Ha :rofl:

[Ghost Dog]

16. Actually, I myself look very much like this falsified image

of this supposed international terrorist leader: very similar beard, hair and shape of face; I'm a bit different around the eyes, but on a bad day, for example, after long hours of gruelling air travel and too much wine, I could quite easily be mistaken by some trigger-happy 'homeland' zealot.

I'm sure many men around the world could say the same.

So, since this is, I repeat, a false, made-up image of a (possibly also highly-falsified, but that's another issue) wanted man that has been distributed to 'security forces' around the world that could lead to serious consequences for many innocent people, it does cross one's mind that there could be grounds here for a large class-action suit in the USA against the FBI, the Homeland Security apparatus and the US Government in general.

I'm only half joking. What think ye?

[Land Shark]

18. You must then be on your way to looking like George Clooney (who's another step in same direction)

[Jamastiene]

20. You must look like my uncle then.

My uncle looks a lot like the new photo.

[Jamastiene]

19. If they keep shaving the facial hair off the picture,

someone might turn my uncle in for looking like bin Laden. It's amazing the resemblance and none of my family are from the middle east.

[M155Y_A1CH]

22. Still ROFL tonight over this mess n/t