Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus has claimed that he once advised a US Navy admiral on how to capture former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The punk-rock pioneer, shared the shocking anecdote in his new autobiography, Fahrenheit-182, claiming he may have actually helped the US government capture Hussein back in 2003.
Hoppus, 53, recalled an encounter aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf in the early 2000s – when the war in Iraq was heating up – where he allegedly provided his insights to an admiral.
‘Sir, I have a plan for how to catch Saddam Hussein,’ he recalled saying to the admiral.
According to Hoppus, his plan involved the use of drones capable of broadcasting ultrasonic frequencies.
The frequencies would then be used to triangulate Hussein’s location when he released his video messages from an unknown location.
The star bassist suggested that if Hussein released a videotape, that the time code could be captured, which in turn would allow authorities to triangulate the embattled Iraqi president’s location.
‘Sir, what about having drones fly all over the region in carpeting patterns, broadcasting time codes above the level of human hearing but at the level that a video recording would catch it,’ he claims to have pitched.
Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus (pictured) has claimed that he once advised the US Navy admiral on how to capture former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in an unknown location in Iraq after his capture by US troops on December 13, 2003, from an underground hole on a farm in the village of ad-Dawr near his hometown of Tikrit in northern Iraq
‘Then, the next time he releases one of his videos, you can listen to it, pull the ultrasonic data, and triangulate the drones you have flying all over.’
Hoppus went on to say that he remembers the admiral being ‘genuinely taken aback’ by the idea, and mentioning that he may pitch the idea to the Chiefs of Staff.
‘Four months later, Saddam was located and captured in Iraq,’ Hoppus wrote, adding, ‘So, you’re welcome everyone.’
While the story may sound unconventional, Hoppus’ connection to the military isn’t entirely far-fetched.
In 2003, Blink-182 performed for US troops aboard the USS Nimitz, a deployment that coincided with the Operation Red Dawn – the mission that led to Hussein’s capture in 2003.
While the story may sound unconventional, Hoppus’ connection to the military isn’t entirely far-fetched. Pictured: Mark Hoppus with Blink-182 bandmates Thomas DeLonge and Travis Barker in 2001
Despite the lack of official acknowledgement of Hoppus’ involvement in the operation, his account adds a curious twist to the annals of military history.
Whether his advice played a role in Hussein’s capture remains a matter of speculation, but Hoppus’ near unbelievable story certainly adds an unexpected chapter in his punk rock legacy.
Hussein had been found cowering in a grubby bolt-hole on December 13, 2003.
As one U.S. military commander said, he was ‘caught like a rat’.
Holed up in an underground chamber little bigger than a coffin, he surrendered without a fight when allied troops cornered him in a farm near Tikrit, his birthplace.
Bearded, thin and exhausted, he had been on the run for 250 days.
On November 5, 2006, he was finally found guilty of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special Tribunal. He was then sentenced to be hanged until dead.
A month later in Baghdad – at 6am on December 30 – he was led to a platform in a concrete chamber by masked men.
Saddam Hussein moments after his capture by US forces in a farm house outside Tikrit, Iraq
Two U.S. soldiers from the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division prepare to lift the foam cover to the hole where former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein hid
Wearing a white shirt and dark overcoat, he refused a hood and shouted ‘God is great’.
Soldiers taunted him with insults until a judge demanded silence.
As he clutched a copy of the Koran, a noose was placed around his neck – waxed to guarantee a clean slide of the knots. The trapdoor was released and a loud crack was heard when his neck broke.
Left to swing for several minutes, a doctor was called to listen for a heartbeat. Saddam was dead.
Beyond his military encounter, Hoppus continues to share personal experiences in ‘Fahrenheit-182,’ revealing stories of personal struggles, relationships within the band, and the impact of cancer on his life.
