DENVER, Colo. -- A samurai sword-wielding American who waged his own personal quest to capture Usama bin Laden demanded Tuesday a share of the official $27 million reward following the terror chief's death.

Gary Faulkner, a construction worker from Greeley, Colo., who came to international attention after being arrested in Pakistan last year, told ABC News he had served the Al Qaeda leader "up on a platter" for U.S. authorities.

"I had a major hand and play in this wonderful thing, getting him out of the mountains and down to the valleys ... Someone had to get him out of there. That's where I came in," he said. "I scared the squirrel out of his hole, he popped his head up and he got capped.

"I'm proud of our boys, I'm very proud of our government ... They were handed this opportunity on a platter from myself."

Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs during a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Sunday.

Faulkner, who was found with a pistol, a samurai sword, night vision goggles and a map when detained by Pakistani authorities last June, said while his quest was not about money, he deserved some compensation.

"It wasn't about me. I wanted to bring him to justice. I'm not greedy, but I sold everything I had and I put my life on the line," he said.

And Faulkner flatly rejected the suggestion that bin Laden had been living in the high-security compound in Pakistan for years.

"He hadn't been living there for no damn six years," Faulkner said. "I absolutely flushed him out."

The State Department said it would not comment on the reward.