Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus has recalled how he may have helped capture Sadam Hussein.
The pop-punk pioneer shared the anecdote in his new autobiography Fahrenheit-182, and explained how he may have actually helped the US government capture Saddam Hussein back in 2003.
While he has made nods to the situation on social media in the past, the description in the memoir marks the first time that he has gone into detail about the plan he came up with to help locate the Iraqi politician.
In the passage, the musician recalled speaking to a Navy admiral onboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, and sharing his thoughts about how they could locate Hussein.
This, Hoppus said, related to how Hussein had been sending video messages from an unknown location, and led to him thinking that military drones could be used to track the location.
“Sir, I have a plan for how to catch Saddam Hussein,” he recalled saying to the admiral. “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 pitched.
“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.”
He 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. So, you’re welcome everyone,” he concluded in the book. He then went on to recall how Blink played in the region following the meeting with the admiral – once at a military base in Bahrain and another on an aircraft carrier in Kuwait (via Loudwire).
Other noteworthy anecdotes shared in the book include a recollection of the time when The Cure‘s Robert Smith allegedly once tried to “make out” with him, the impact his parent’s divorce had on him, his battle with cancer and friendship with Tom DeLonge, and an “awful” date with Melissa Joan Hart.
Earlier this week, the band also announced details of a massive US tour with Alkaline Trio this autumn.
On the tour, they’ll be heading to major venues across the country, including stops in Virginia Beach, Kansas City and more. The dates begin on August 28 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, and runs through September before finishing at Palm Desert’s Acrisure Arena in California.
Tickets are on sale now and available here.
