The White House will not be releasing any photos of Osama bin Laden’s corpse the administration said on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama after weighing whether or not to release a photo of the terror chief killed last Sunday night, decided against doing so.
In an interview with CBS 60 Minutes yet to be aired, Obama said the release of bin Laden’s photographs could serve to incite additional violence and serve as a propaganda tool.
A spokesperson for the administration said too, there weren’t a lot of people clamoring for releasing photos of the dead man, as most people accept that bin Laden was killed.
The photos of bin Laden are said to be gruesome, as the terror chief was shot in the left eye, leaving a gaping wound and brain tissue visible.
There was disagreement among Obama’s National Security Team, as some law makers recognized the value of making public photos and video of bin Laden, particularly to quiet those who remain skeptical about his killing. On Tuesday, CIA Director Leon Panetta had said that ultimately a photograph of the Al Qaeda leader would be made public.
In the end, Obama took the decision not to release any photos.
Asked directly in the CBS interview why he won’t release a photo of the dead Al Qaeda leader, Mr. Obama said, the photos are graphic and this is “not who we are”.
Obama added, “Osama bin Laden is not a trophy…. There is no doubt that Osama bin Laden is dead……The fact is, you will not see bin Laden walking on this earth again.”
