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.

Resources

Slashdot discussion
Times of London story
Yahoo
Daily Mail
Full Channel

Blogs covering the FBI/Osama bin Laden/Gaspar Llamazares debacle include
Black Weta, Chatta Box, and Left to Chance.

Related posts:

1. Google Chrome Browser Third Place Behind Internet Explorer and Firefox
2. Google Buys Picnik, a Free Online Photo Editing Website
3. Uploading Images with the Scribefire Quickblogging Toolbar