‘Bin Laden’ poster model rejects apology from US

A SPANISH politician has rejected an apology for the FBI using his picture to create a poster showing what Osama bin Laden might look like today.

Gaspar Llamazares, of Spain’s communist-run United Left party, demanded the US investigate the incident and take appropriate action.

“Apologies are not enough,” he said after the US ambassador apologised via Spain’s interior minister.

“I want a thorough investigation into this disgraceful case, which not only causes concern but also indignation over the behaviour of the FBI,” he said, adding he did not rule out legal action.

The FBI used parts of a photo of Llamazares taken from Google Images to create a digitally modified image of the al-Qaida leader for a new wanted poster, which appeared on the State Department website and offered a reward of up to $25 million.

The FBI said the forensic artist had been unable to find suitable features among the reference photographs of bin Laden.

The FBI has removed the photo of bin Laden from the site, but Mr Llamazares said he wanted guarantees it was not still in the hands of intelligence services at airports.

He said it bothered him to think what would have happened if the FBI had used the photo of an ordinary person, and not a public figure able to draw attention to the matter.