Bin Laden was dead when NAVY Seals arrived: Book

In book No Easy Day, Seal says Bin Laden was unarmed and the team was not shot at outside Abbottabad compound.

Former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was unarmed and already dead with a bullet to his brain when the US NAVY Seals entered his bedroom of his Abbottabad compound, narrated a US NAVY Seal in his first-hand account of the raid. A copy of the book was obtained by The Huffington Post.

In the book “No Easy Day”, a SEAL who used the pseudonym Mark Owen wrote that suppressed gunshots were heard when the team was less than five steps away from getting to the top. When the team members entered Bin Laden’s room, they saw his wife wailing over his body, the book added.

Owen also denied numerous reports that Bin Laden had a weapon and resisted when the Seals entered. He wrote that the al Qaeda leader was unarmed and had been fatally wounded with “blood and brains spilled out of the side of his skull”.

The writer also negated several other reports, and said that the Seals were not fired at outside the compound nor was there a 40-minute firefight.

Owen wrote that the raid ‘was being reported like a bad action movie’. “At first, it was funny because it was so wrong,” he added.

Pentagon says reviewing Bin Laden book

The Pentagon on Wednesday said it has obtained a copy of a soon-to-be-published book by a former Navy commando who participated in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and is reviewing it.


The book was not cleared by US defense officials in advance, raising the possibility that the author could face an investigation and possible criminal prosecution.

"We have obtained a copy and are reviewing it," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Reuters.

"No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden" was written under the pseudonym Mark Owen with co-author Kevin Maurer and was to be released next month on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Its publication has been moved up to September 4, according to reports by some media outlets.

National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor on Wednesday had no comment on the book, but said: "As President Obama said on the night that justice was brought to Osama bin Laden, 'We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country.'"

The former SEAL is now facing threats against his life in addition to possible charges. Officials have said the military would take legal action against anyone who exposed sensitive information that could harm fellow forces.

Earlier this month US officials said they were surprised by the book, which was not vetted by government agencies to ensure that no secrets were revealed.
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