MADRID: A Spanish politician on Saturday said he was surprised and shocked to find out the FBI used some of his features in a new computer-generated photo of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.Gaspar Llamazares, member of the United Left party in Spain and known for his anti-American positions, said he would no longer feel safe travelling to the United States after his hair and facial wrinkles were used in an updated photo of Osama bin Laden recently released by the FBI."I was surprised and angered because it's the most shameless use of a real person to make up the image of a terrorist," Llamazares said at a news conference Saturday. "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's contemporary representation of Bin Laden, with graying hair and a stubble, was visible for several hours on the most wanted "Rewards for Justice" website, before it was removed.
An FBI technician, acting on his own initiative, searched the Internet for images and used the hair and forehead of Gaspar Llamazares, a left-leaning Spanish deputy, according to FBI spokesman Ken Hoffman.
He was not satisfied with the solutions offered for hair by the program the FBI uses and instead sourced features from a photograph he found on the Internet, Hoffman explained.
Hoffman said the action went against FBI procedure.
Llamazares said Saturday he would formally request an explanation from the American authorities and reserved the right to file a lawsuit against the United States.
