‘Oops. I thought it was Osama’

MONTPELLIER – A French artist allegedly traumatised by last week’s Spain bombings was convicted of trying to run over a pedestrian he mistook for Osama bin Laden and ordered to pay the man US$615.

The 35-year-old defendant, identified as Pierre, was sentenced on Tuesday by a court in this southern France city to a three-month suspended prison term. The man he tried to run over was unharmed.Pierre’s lawyer, David Mendel, said his client was the “victim of a hallucination” while driving through Montpellier’s historic centre on Monday.The victim, a man in his 30s, was able to run from the oncoming car, which crashed along the side of a street.”If it was (Bin Laden), we would have won US$5 million,” Mendel said, referring to a reward.The Madrid train bombings, which killed 201 people, increasingly appear to have been orchestrated by Islamic extremists with links to bin Laden’s al Qaeda terror network.- Nampa-AFPThe man he tried to run over was unharmed.Pierre’s lawyer, David Mendel, said his client was the “victim of a hallucination” while driving through Montpellier’s historic centre on Monday.The victim, a man in his 30s, was able to run from the oncoming car, which crashed along the side of a street.”If it was (Bin Laden), we would have won US$5 million,” Mendel said, referring to a reward.The Madrid train bombings, which killed 201 people, increasingly appear to have been orchestrated by Islamic extremists with links to bin Laden’s al Qaeda terror network.- Nampa-AFP