U.S. Questions American on bin Laden Hunt

U.S. Embassy officials on Thursday met with an American construction worker detained in Pakistan several days ago while on a solo mission to kill Osama bin Laden.

Gary Brooks Faulkner claims he set off for Pakistan after God appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to kill al Qaeda's leader to avenge the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S., according to Pakistani security officials.

Police detained Faulkner on Sunday in a forest in northern Pakistan, where they said he was found carrying several weapons, including a pistol and a sword, and night-vision equipment. He was trying to cross into the nearby Afghan region of Nuristan, one of bin Laden's rumored hiding places, they said.

Catching the al Qaeda chief was 50-year-old Faulkner's passion, his brother Scott Faulkner has said. He sold all his tools to finance his trip and was prepared to die in Pakistan, said his brother.

Faulkner's sister, Deanna M. Faulkner, has expressed concerns about her brother's health, saying he suffers from serious kidney disease and can't survive without dialysis. Pakistani officials said Wednesday Faulkner had been examined by a doctor.

U.S. Embassy officials were able to meet with Faulkner in Islamabad on Thursday, said spokesman Richard Snelsire. He declined to provide details about his condition or potential release, citing privacy concerns.

Faulkner has not yet been charged with any crime in Pakistan.