Row grows over President Barack Obama's decision on bin Laden photo

President Barack Obama was sharply criticised for exhibiting a failure of nerve by not publishing photographs of Osama bin Laden's corpse.


by Our Foreign Staff 8:48AM BST 05 May 2011

Sarah Palin, the former US vice-presidential candidate criticised the US leader.

"Show photo as warning to others seeking America's destruction," Mrs Palin wrote on Twitter. "No pussy-footing around, no politicking, no drama; it's part of the mission."

Lindsey Graham, a US senator, said the decision was a mistake that would prolong rumour mongering that bin Laden was still alive.

"The whole purpose of sending our soldiers into the compound, rather than an aerial bombardment, was to obtain indisputable proof of bin Laden's death," Graham said. "I know bin Laden is dead. But the best way to protect and defend our interests overseas is to prove that fact to the rest of the world."

President Obama said he decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks for the United States. Separately, officials said that the Navy Seals who stormed bin Laden's compound shot him dead after they saw him appear to lunge for a weapon.
Mr Obama, in an interview with CBS News on Wednesday, said bin Laden's death had been well established and people who did not believe it would not be convinced by gruesome photos, either.

"It would be of no benefit to gloat, he said. "There are going to be some folks who deny it. The fact of the matter is you won't see bin Laden walking on this earth again."

The officials, who had been briefed on the operation, said several weapons were found in the room where the terror chief died, including AK-47 assault rifles and side arms. The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, commented only on condition of anonymity.

The new explanation for bin Laden's death rather than taken into custody came after changing White House accounts that raised questions about the rationale: first that bin Laden was armed, then that he was not.

The officials who gave the latest details also said that a US commando grabbed a woman who charged toward the SEALs. The raiders were concerned, the officials said, that she might be wearing a suicide vest.

Scott Brown, a Republican senator, was one of three senators who admitted they had been duped by a fake photo.

He said "the photo that I saw and that a lot of other people saw is not authentic."

Saxby Chambliss and Kelly Ayotte also claimed to have seen bin Laden's corpse. Senator Ayotte said: "While I was shown a photo by another senator of what appeared to be a deceased Osama bin Laden, I do not know if it was authentic," she said. "However, I do believe a photo of the dead al Qaeda leader should be released. Although some may be upset by the image of someone who has been shot in the head, releasing a photo is important to put to rest any conspiracy theories that may arise around the world and to provide for closure."


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... photo.html
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