US used facial recognition technology to identify Bin Laden

Officials say convincing means were used to confirm Osama's identity to avoid conspiracy theories.

The US media reported that facial recognition technology was also used to identify Osama bin Laden in addition to DNA testing.

American authorities used biometric technology to resolve any possible doubt about the identity of Bin Laden.

US officials revealed that authorities had used facial recognition software to identify Bin Laden from satellite pictures as he exercised in his compound in September last year.

"We are going to do everything we can to make sure that nobody has any basis to try to deny that we got Osama bin Laden," John Brennan, President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser had said Monday. He said the US will "share what we can because we want to make sure that not only the American people but the world understand exactly what happened."

Bin Laden's face was shown to the White House after he was shot twice in the head and once in the stomach during the raid. A camera on the helmet of a Navy Seal was used to broadcast the images to Washington.

The US media report said that officials produced a quick DNA match from his remains that they said established bin Laden's identity with 99.9 per cent certainty, even if other techniques had not been used.