American Hunting Osama Bin Laden Was Intent on Avenging 9/11

June 15, 2010 -- The American arrested in Pakistan who was on a solo mission to hunt down Osama bin Laden told police he was intent on avenging the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Authorities said Gary Brooks Faulkner, a construction worker who lived in Greeley, Colo., was arrested attempting to cross into Afghanistan in the mountainous region of northern Pakistan. He was armed with a pistol, sword, night vision goggles, a map and was reportedly carrying Christian literature.

Police arrested Faulkner, 50, in a hotel near the Afghanistan border. Police said that when he was arrested, Faulkner claimed he was going to take revenge for al Qaeda's terror attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

Faulkner's brother-in-law John Martin told ABC News that Faulkner talked openly with the family about his plans to hunt down the al Qaeda leader.

"He's a very deeply religious individual, very patriotic," Martin said. "It seemed to be his thing. He thought it should be done and he thought he could accomplish it."

Osama bin Laden has evaded one of the largest international manhunts in history and remains on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.

Martin said Faulkner was not trained in anyway for a seek and destroy mission and had no military training, though he had been to the region before. Faulkner's brother Scott said he was trained in martial arts and a sword and dagger were his "weapons of choice."

Faulkner also has an arrest record and spent time in Colorado prisons, according to public records.