Islamabad, Pakistan – Security officials in Pakistan are still questioning the bounty hunter who was on the trail of the world’s most wanted man — Osama bin Laden.
Different teams of civilian and military intelligence officials have been questioning Gary Faulkner for past three days, in the capital city of Islamabad.
An analyst on terrorism in Islamabad, who asked not to be identified, said Faulkner could be charged under the terrorism act if it’s found he was involved in any act of terrorism or doubtful activities.
The circumstances Faulkner was captured have given a new twist to the investigation.
“He is not likely to be released very soon, until all government agencies are satisfied,” said the expert.
Faulkner, 50, has not been charged with any crime in Pakistan. But, the circumstances he was detained in, have given a new twist to the investigation.
Another indication that authorities are digging on is that Faulkner, who is also familiar with local language, and had made many trips to Pakistan over the past seven years and had been to Chitral several times over the past three years.
Officials of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) are looking into Faulkner’s travel history and seeking any connection he might have made with Pakistanis at home or abroad.
According to hotel lobby records obtained by The Post, he arrived and checked-in at Ishpata Inn on June 2 until June 12, 2010 in room No. 4. The purpose of his stay shows to “visit friends and others”.
“Pakistan is at war against terrorism and moving freely in the remote mountains of Chitral region for an American is not as easy as you can imagine, unless he or she have any “friends” in the area,” said Khan, a senior police investigator in Peshawar, who asked to be identified with his last name only. “This made authorities very concerned.”
“The investigators who conducted psychological tests on Faulkner want to know how and where he got the pistol, dagger,” said Khan.
Although embassy officials met with Faulkner for about an hour on Thursday, spokesman Richard Snelsire declined to provide details about his condition or potential release, citing privacy concerns.
“He is still held by Pakistani authorities and they are able to answer the questions,” said Snelsire on Friday evening.
Khawaja Waseem, a senior lawyer at the Lahore High Court, in the Punjab Province, told The Post that the law of the land will be applied no matter what type of citizenship a person carries.
“Under Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), carrying an unlicensed pistol, and dagger is a bail-able offense. The maximum punishment for this offense is between three to seven years imprisonment,” told Waseem.
But, if a person is staying illegally in country with an expired visa, then he or she could also face other offences with accordance to terrorism act.