Blink-182's Mark Hoppus makes bizarre claim that HE helped capture Saddam Hussein

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.
'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.
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.
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.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

• Daily Mail​

Travis Kelce completes mad dash from Cannes to Kansas City for first day of Chiefs minicamp

The distance from Cannes to Kansas City encompasses eight time zones and nearly 8,000 miles, neither of which was enough to keep Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce from the opening of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. The 35-year-old NFL superstar and his brother Jason were among the invited guests at the Amazon Port Panel in Cannes, where the Kelces dutifully promoted their highly successful podcast, New Heights. Less than 24 hours later, Kelce was back to work at his other job preparing for the upcoming 2025 NFL campaign. Both Kelce and newly re-signed right guard Trey Smith mostly skipped organized team activities last month before making their mandatory appearances on Tuesday. The only absentee in Kansas City was tight end Tre Watson, according to local media. The mandatory minicamp will continue through Thursday. Unlike last year, when he and girlfriend Taylor Swift couldn't stay out of the spotlight, Travis has enjoyed a much quieter break from NFL duties this time around, with the couple keen to unwind together away from the cameras in recent months. Welcome back Travis Kelce! Picking up right where he left off. The boys are back! #ChiefsKingdom — Taylor Burr (@TaylorBurr10) June 17, 2025 He will be desperate to enter the 2025 season in optimum shape after putting up some of the worst individual numbers of his career in 2024, which led many to believe his career was coming to an end. However, after admitting he was weighing up his future, the Chiefs icon confirmed to Pat McAfee at the end of February that he is not hanging up his cleats just yet. Kelce recently explained his reasoning to Jason on New Heights: 'I think the biggest thing is that I f***ing love playing the game of football. I still feel I can play at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. 'I don't think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them, especially if you look at my track record and how I've been in years past. 'I want to give it a good run. I've got a bad taste in my mouth on how I ended the year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was for the people around me. I love so many people in Kansas City, both in that facility and the community and it's home for me now. 'I don't want to leave that life yet. I put in a lot of hard work and focus into being the best I can be for Kansas City and last year it didn't end well for us. I feel there's a responsibility in me to play out the contract I initially signed to give the organization everything that I've got and that's what I'm going to do man.' Of course, when he does hang up his cleats, Kelce can always just focus on podcasting. As he and Jason explained in Cannes, the idea behind New Heights was to give their audience a window into their family dynamic. 'I think we've always wanted to show everybody our brotherhood, our family, how we're in this crazy football world together supporting each other from different sides of the country. 'It was an opportunity to honestly spend more time together,' Travis said. Jason then admitted: 'we would go months in the season without really talking to each other.'

Scottish Sun

5 days ago

• Scottish Sun

Kourtney Kardashian's fans spot subtle new ‘clue' she's quietly pregnant with 5th child in new Instagram post

She's added more fuel to the fire with a sweet Father's Day tribute to Travis SAW THE SIGN Kourtney Kardashian's fans spot subtle new 'clue' she's quietly pregnant with 5th child in new Instagram post Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KOURTNEY Kardashian's fans think they've spotted a subtle 'clue' she's pregnant with her fifth child. Poosh founder Kourtney, 46, recently sparked pregnancy rumours when she was photographed resting her hands over her stomach, with eagle-eyed admirers claiming they could see a small bump. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Kourtney Kardashian's fans think they've spotted a subtle 'clue' she's pregnant with her fifth child Credit: Instagram/kourtneykardash Now, she's added more fuel to the fire with a sweet Father's Day tribute to her husband, Travis Barker, 49. Sharing a montage of family snaps, Kourtney gushed on Instagram: "Happy Father's Day to the man who loves with his whole heart — for our baby, for my three, for his three… for our seven ;). "This wild, beautiful blended life wouldn't be the same without you." Kourtney shares three children with ex Scott Disick - Mason, 15, Penelope, 12, and Reign, 10. Travis is dad to Landon, 21, and Alabama, 19, with ex-wife Shanna Moakler, and stepdad to Shanna's daughter Atiana De La Hoya, 26. The couple welcomed their first child together, Rocky Thirteen Barker, in November 2024. Kourtney and Travis, along with baby Rocky and Travis' 21-year-old son Landon, visited the Blink-182 drummer's hometown of Fontana, California, last week, where a street was named in his honor on Sunday, June 8. After the ceremony, Kourtney and Travis visited his father Randy's home in the town. In candid photos of the outing, Kourtney is wearing a baggy white dress and leather jacket. Though she seemed to keep her hands over her stomach area, some fans thought they spotted a suspicious bump. Kourtney Kardashian slammed as 'insane' for controversial parenting move & even sister Khloe thinks it's 'crazy' "Is Kourtney pregnant again?" one fan asked on Reddit. "It looks like her belly button is starting to poke out, and she's been placing her hands on her stomach a lot recently," said a second. Other followers noted she's been posting a lot of throwback photos on Instagram lately instead of current pictures. "I think she could be expecting," said a third fan. "Congratulations, Kourtney and Travis!" PREGNANCY STRUGGLES Kourtney struggled for years to become pregnant with Rocky, who joined her kids Mason, 15, Penelope, 12, and Reign, 10, and Travis' children Atiana, 26, Landon and Alabama, 19. She also suffered a medical emergency during her pregnancy, and required fetal surgery. Kourtney later explained that doctors found fluid in Rocky's lungs. "We had a terrifying scare," she said on The Kardashians last June. "It's super rare, the condition that he had, but it's also super rare and lucky that we caught it. "Thank you, God, for a successful surgery. I'm honestly just so grateful, I have no words." "The fluid in his lungs actually did start coming back," she continued, adding that she believes her prayers helped keep her baby healthy. PREGNANCY AT 45 AND OVER A number of celebrities have announced pregnancies at 45 and beyond. -Halle Berry welcomed son Mateo at 47 -Geena Davis gave birth to twins Kian and Kaiis at 48 -Kenya Moore gave birth to daughter Brooklyn at 47 -Janet Jackson has her son Eissa at 50 "Then I watched this documentary called Heal that was all about the power of positive thinking and how our thinking can really affect our health. "I started talking to the baby every day, saying my prayers. "After I had that mindset shift, the fluid was completely gone and we had not one single problem after." Fortunately, Rocky was born healthy on November 1, 2023. Despite having her own brands Poosh and Lemme, Kourtney said she now acts as a stay-at-home mom and only works about once a week. 6 Kourtney shared a Father's Day tribute to Travis Barker Credit: Instagram 6 It included snaps of the couple with each other's kids Credit: Instagram 6 She gushed about their blended family in her caption Credit: Instagram 6 Poosh founder Kourtney sparked pregnancy rumours during a recent outing Credit: The Mega Agency

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

• Daily Mail​

Travis Kelce's close friend reveals how Taylor Swift has helped him during NFL offseason in Florida

Travis Kelce's close friend, Pat McAfee, detailed how the Chiefs tight end is getting in the right mindset for the upcoming season thanks to his relationship with Taylor Swift. Swift and Kelce have been shacked up for long periods of the offseason at each other's homes, including a recent stint in south Florida. McAfee was close enough to Kelce to break the news that the tight end was coming back to the NFL for the 2025 season on his ESPN show. Now, the broadcaster and former NFL punter has given an insight into the version of Kelce football fans will see in a few months, in part, thanks to Swift. 'I think they continue to inspire each other, I think they continue to motivate each other,' McAfee said of Swift and Kelce. 'I think they continue to motivate each other. I think they continue to be great for each other.' 'And if Travis Kelce is all the way back, I think you immediately understand that the Chiefs are going to be where the Chiefs have been, and that's in title conversations.' Many believed going into last season that Kelce was not at his best due to his skyrocketing profile outside of football. His stats showed a dip, as he only had three touchdown catches during the the 2024 regular season. Kelce also was a non-factor in Kansas City's Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in February, where he did not have a meaningful catch in the game. Now, after a more low-key offseason, Kelce is headed back to Chiefs offseason activities this week. How this time away from football and with Swift will pay off on the gridiron is to be determined. Yet, per McAfee, and with obvious signs during his time with Swift in a luxury suite at a hockey game, Kelce looks to be in the right mindset to get back to his old, dominant ways.