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Bad news for anyone who hoped to cash in Osama bin Laden's death. The U.S. government isn't giving away any of the $25 million it promised to individuals providing information leading to the Al Qaeda leader's capture. "We do not expect a reward to be paid," said a senior U.S. official to ABC News. That's a break from previous manhunts, like the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or Saddam Hussein, where the feds doled out millions of dollars for those who helped along the way. Officials tell ABC no one else deserves the credit because the apprehension of bin Laden was thanks to electronic intelligence (wiretaps and drone surveillance) and detainee information--not human informants. It'll certainly be a tough pill to swallow for Gary Faulkner, the samurai sword-wielding Colorado native who traveled to Pakistan to slay bin Laden last year. Earlier this month, Faulkner made a rather dubious claim for a portion of the bounty. "I had a major hand [to] play in this wonderful thing, getting him out of the mountains and down to the valleys ... Someone had to get him out of there. That's where I came in," he told ABC News. "I scared the squirrel out of his hole, he popped his head up and he got capped." Faulkner aside, it's a little surprising that there weren't any individuals unaffiliated with the U.S. government who provided valuable intelligence during the 10-year manhunt. That's some impressive snitch-proofing on Al Qaeda's part. Read More ...
