MP’s photo used for bin Laden poster

A SPANISH MP was considering legal action against US authorities after the FBI used an online photograph of him to create an image showing what Osama bin Laden might look like today.

The image using Gaspar Llamazares’ photo appeared on a wanted poster updating the US government’s 1998 photo of the al-Qaida leader.

FBI spokesman Ken Hoffman acknowledged to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that the agency used a picture of Mr Llamazares taken from Google Images.

In a statement, the agency would say only that it was aware of similarities between their age-progressed image “and that of an existing photograph of a Spanish public official”.

“The forensic artist was unable to find suitable features among the reference photographs and obtained those features, in part, from a photograph he found on the internet,” the FBI said in a statement.

The wanted poster appeared on the State Department website, rewardsforjustice.net, listing a reward of up to $25 million (€17m). The FBI said the photo of bin Laden would be removed from the website.

Llamazares, former leader of the United Left party, was elected to Spain’s parliament in 2000. The photograph used to make the wanted poster originally appeared on posters for his 2004 general election campaign. He said he would no longer feel safe travelling to the US after his hair and facial wrinkles appeared on the bin Laden image.

“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 said.

“It’s almost like out of a comedy if it didn’t deal with matters as serious as bin Laden and citizens’ security.”

He said he reserved the right to take legal action.