News / National
Zim man claims to have assisted the FBI to kill Bin Laden
16 Jan 2014 at 19:15hrs | Views
MBABANE - A Zimbabwean national who claims to have played a role in the capture of executed al- Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been arrested by Swaziland police.
Elliot Bakasa, 50, of Harare was arrested on Monday for being in the country without a valid permit.
He appeared before Magistrate Siphosini Dlamini yesterday and conducted his own defence.
Bakasa pleaded guilty to the charge. He contravened the Immigration Act in that he entered and remained in the country without a permit.
He told the court that he arrived in the country on December 28, 2013and that he has been staying at the Mbabane Police Station ever since his arrival.
Bakasa told the court that he came to Swaziland from South Africa, where he had been staying since 1998 during the height of political turmoil in Zimbabwe, to seek an audience with King Mswati. He said he was in the country to plead with the king to make a plea on his behalf with the British monarchy to allow him to enter England since his intention was to go to London.
The Zimbabwean said he saw an article in one of the South African newspapers that he was a wanted man following his statement that he was responsible for the capture of Bin Laden.
"I was staying at a lodge in Cape Town with some people who happened to know where Osama was hiding. I got hold of that information and released it to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). The FBI used that information and Osama was captured," said Bakasa.
Dlamini remanded him in police custody for further investigations.
The officer who brought Bakasa to court said Zimbabwean police were on their way to the country to carry out investigations on him.
He said he was not worried about being investigated and being taken back to the custody of the police.
Bin Laden, the founder and head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011 shortly after 1am by Navy Seals of the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group also known as DEVGRU or Seal Team Six.
Elliot Bakasa, 50, of Harare was arrested on Monday for being in the country without a valid permit.
He appeared before Magistrate Siphosini Dlamini yesterday and conducted his own defence.
Bakasa pleaded guilty to the charge. He contravened the Immigration Act in that he entered and remained in the country without a permit.
He told the court that he arrived in the country on December 28, 2013and that he has been staying at the Mbabane Police Station ever since his arrival.
Bakasa told the court that he came to Swaziland from South Africa, where he had been staying since 1998 during the height of political turmoil in Zimbabwe, to seek an audience with King Mswati. He said he was in the country to plead with the king to make a plea on his behalf with the British monarchy to allow him to enter England since his intention was to go to London.
The Zimbabwean said he saw an article in one of the South African newspapers that he was a wanted man following his statement that he was responsible for the capture of Bin Laden.
"I was staying at a lodge in Cape Town with some people who happened to know where Osama was hiding. I got hold of that information and released it to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). The FBI used that information and Osama was captured," said Bakasa.
Dlamini remanded him in police custody for further investigations.
The officer who brought Bakasa to court said Zimbabwean police were on their way to the country to carry out investigations on him.
He said he was not worried about being investigated and being taken back to the custody of the police.
Bin Laden, the founder and head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011 shortly after 1am by Navy Seals of the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group also known as DEVGRU or Seal Team Six.
Source - Times of Swaziland
