Spanish MP's photo was used by FBI for hunting Bin Laden

[xul]

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.

Spanish MP's photo used for Osama Bin Laden poster

FBI was not able to get a photo of Ben Laden, so they got a photo from internet and made up one instead. No wonder old Osama is still at large if intelligence, police and soldiers use this photo hunting him.

[Guest American Woman]

Spanish MP's photo used for Osama Bin Laden poster

FBI was not able to get a photo of Ben Laden, so they got a photo from internet and made up one instead. No wonder old Osama is still at large if intelligence, police and soldiers use this photo hunting him.

They didn't exactly "get a photo from the internet and make one up," they used parts of a photo taken from the internet to digitally enhance bin Laden's photo to show what he might look like at his present age.

Photo are 'age enhanced' all the time when a person is missing/a recent photo isn't available. That in itself is nothing new.

It was not known at the time that the photo chosen was the Spanish PM, but one would think at least the hair would have been changed a bit rather than for the most part left just as it was in the original photo. I think that's the dead give-away for anyone who's seen him/photos of the PM. Otherwise I can't say I think the 'age enhanced photo' looks anything like him; I would have never seen the two photos and put them together but for the hair.

In spite of that, though, regarding the whole 'digital imaging' thing at airports, I can see where it would be a concern for the PM.

[kimmy]

That's what Osama looks like now?!

-k

[Topaz]

As far as believing if OBL is dead or alive, the world will believe he's alive when he holds up a newspaper with the date on it and he gives the CIA his password.

[kimmy]

As far as believing if OBL is dead or alive, the world will believe he's alive when he holds up a newspaper with the date on it

Didn't he do that before the presidential election? You types didn't believe it was really him then either.

and he gives the CIA his password.

Password to what? His Facebook page?

-k

[xul]

They didn't exactly "get a photo from the internet and make one up," they used parts of a photo taken from the internet to digitally enhance bin Laden's photo to show what he might look like at his present age.

Photo are 'age enhanced' all the time when a person is missing/a recent photo isn't available. That in itself is nothing new.

It was not known at the time that the photo chosen was the Spanish PM, but one would think at least the hair would have been changed a bit rather than for the most part left just as it was in the original photo. I think that's the dead give-away for anyone who's seen him/photos of the PM. Otherwise I can't say I think the 'age enhanced photo' looks anything like him; I would have never seen the two photos and put them together but for the hair.

In spite of that, though, regarding the whole 'digital imaging' thing at airports, I can see where it would be a concern for the PM.

Generally I agree with you. Personally, I don't care police using my photo to help them hunting a criminal. Of course, maybe politicians more care to be related to any scandals, especially to an notorious terrorist. In this case, I just think there may be some lazy approach because the forensic artist of FBI borrowed too much from one person. Borrowing some skin from another person to make a 52 years old Bin Laden can not cause problem. But it seems like the artist also borrowed a lot of the facial outline of the spanish, and this is why the photo was spotted out by the spanish. In common sense, if the synthesized photo looks more like the spanish, it is supposed less resembling Bin Laden himself, for the features of the two men are obviously not alike at all.