January 17, 2010 | Digital Privacy

FBI Locates Osama bin Laden … on Google Images

Gaspar Llamazares Osama bin Laden FBI Morph

Remember that fellow that helped to blow up a few buildings and then went into either seclusion or retirement? Someone by the name of Osama bin Laden?

Since it’s been a while since he’s released a YouTube video, government agencies have no idea what the terrorist mastermind looks like anymore. At the end of their rope, the FBI hit on using Google Images to brainstorm Osama bin Laden’s facial features.

The Times of London is reporting that the FBI used a photo of leftist Spanish politician Gaspar Llamazares, who incidentally is a member of the Communist Party of Spain and a critic of the war.

The resemblance between the FBI representation of Osama bin Laden and Gaspar Llamazares is uncanny.

Osama bin Laden morphs into Gaspar Llamazares, or vice versa

Gaspar Llamazares Osama bin Laden FBI Morph

What it looks like is simply that the FBI took to morphing Osama bin Laden’s and Gaspar Llamazares’ photos, and then added some more beard.

What I’d like to know is why the FBI thought bin Laden would grow chubby cheeks in his old age. Most older people get slimmer. Bin Laden was skinny anyways due to his diabetes and other health problems.

Meanwhile Gaspar Llamazares isn’t standing still. Llamazares is offended the FBI used his visage. Obviously having his photo posted at airports around the world won’t exactly make air travel easy for him or for Spaniards who share facial features with him.

It would be nice to know if the FBI plans to continue on taking random images from Google Images or Flickr and making terror alerts out of them.