Afghan tribesman with resemblance to Osama arrested twice

NEW YORK: An Afghan tribesman with an uncanny resemblance to Osama bin Laden has been arrested twice, both times following reported sightings and massive manhunts for the Al Qaeda leader, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Over six feet tall and with the same angular nose as bin Laden, Sher Akbar comes from an Afghan village, Baghe Metal, in an area where US officials believe bin Laden has been hiding.

Bin Laden is believed to be six feet four inches to six feet six inches tall and weigh 160 pounds. He is 50 years old.

The most recent arrest of bin Laden's near-twin came after Afghani officials reported informants saw bin Laden moving across the border into Pakistan, near the town of Chitral.

"We arrested this man as a result of this investigation, but it's not who you might think it is," a senior Pakistani intelligence official told ABC News, providing a photograph to make his point.

The official said an extensive investigation involving Pakistani and US intelligence officers found that the look-alike has no connection to bin Laden, but that local residents had tried to collect rewards based on Akhbar's resemblance to bin Laden.

The United States has offered a 25 million dollar reward for information that leads to the location of bin Laden.