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According to reports, when questioned he said: "God is with me, and I am confident I will be successful in killing [bin Laden]." That summary of Faulkner’s statements was given by Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, the top police officer in the region.
Faulkner, who had made trips to the region in the past, was trying to enter Nuristan, thought to be a Taliban stronghold, and a region many have speculated may be the hiding place of bin Laden.
Faulkner’s story is incredibly improbable. According to reports, he had made as many as six previous visits to Pakistan to hunt bin Laden. He began his odyssey shortly after September 11, 2001, and reportedly hoped to "lop off [bin Laden’s] head with the 40-inch sword."
Speaking of his brother’s mission, Scott Faulkner told the Associated Press: "Our military has not been able to track Osama down yet…. It’s easier as a civilian, dressed in the local dress, to infiltrate the inside, the local people, gain their confidence and get information and intel that you couldn’t get as an American soldier, Navy SEAL, whoever you might be."
Gary Faulkner reportedly met with some success. According to AP, "he learned some of the local language, and even grew a long beard to blend in."
Adding a twist to the story, Faulkner is also suffering from kidney disease. He "is dying," his sister, Deanna Faulkner told reporters, according to the New York Daily News. "He has only 9% kidney function, and the only thing that can cure him is a transplant." She said she thought her 52-year-old brother simply wanted to do what he saw as his patriotic duty. "I’m guessing that he wanted to do one last thing for his country before he died," she said.
Faulkner reportedly arrived on June 3 in Pakistan, where he checked into a hotel in the town of Bumburate. He was then assigned a police guard but gave them the slip to head out on his search. After a 10-hour manhunt he was caught within nine miles of the border with Afghanistan.
"He’s not crazy, he’s not a psychopath and he’s not a sociopath," Scott Faulkner said of his brother, who reportedly served a total of seven years in prison for several crimes including burglary and larceny. "He’s a man on a mission and believes that God’s got his back."
