Who killed Osama Bin Laden? 3 years later, Robert O' Neill, fellow SEALs make rival claims

It has been three and a half years since al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden was shot dead by US Navy SEALS in a secret operation in Abbottabad, 35 miles north of Pakistani capital Islamabad. The events of that day are still shrouded in mystery as the team was strictly told not to reveal any part of the secret mission. However, late on Thursday, speaking to the Washington Post former US Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill came forward and said “he mentally prepared himself to face death from heavily armed gunmen or from the elaborate booby traps that would surely line the approaches to the al-Qaeda leader’s inner sanctum.” Two years ago, another SEALs member — Matt Bissonnette — came forward claiming he was the one who took the shot at the Qaeda boss. New York Times on Friday reported that fellow SEALs and many US army officials have confirmed that it was neither of the two who shot down the 9/11 mastermind, instead it was the third guy – “the point man on the darkened staircase that night” — who was responsible for Osama’s death. [caption id=“attachment_1792505” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Robert O’Neill. AP[/caption] Some special operations service members and veterans are unhappy that one of their own has taken credit publicly for killing Osama bin Laden. Others say they have gotten used to the idea that their brethren might break the code of silence and seek to profit from their deeds. Speaking to the New York Times, a SEAL member said: “O’Neill’s specific role on the mission is irrelevant because everything we do is as a team and we protect the team — its past, present and future.” “The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden” (O’Neill’s account) is scheduled to air in two segments on 11-12 November , with the commando recounting his role in the raid that killed Bin Laden at his Pakistani compound in 2011, AFP had reported earlier this month. That internal debate gained intensity this week when Robert O’Neill acknowledged that he had fired two rounds into the forehead of the al Qaeda leader during the 2011 raid. O’Neill said more and more people were becoming aware of his role and that his name was bound to become public anyway. O’Neill had recounted his version of the bin Laden raid in February 2013 to Esquire magazine, which identified him only as “the shooter.” The open claims have angered senior military officials and fellow SEALs since the information was classified and it was a team effort. A few member of SEAL were surprised at O’Neill’s submission given the possibility that he maybe attacked by terrorists who want to avenge Osama’s death. NYT also noted that the other retired SEAL member Bissonnette’s identity was leaked to news channels and publishers before the book was published. He is under criminal investigation for possibly revealing classified information in the book or in paid speeches. In his interviews, O’Neill said that the point man did shoot at Osama first “but missed” following which O’Neill took the two shots “whom he described as still standing at the time.” A former SEAL member even confirmed his account and said that the point man merely injured Osama. Speaking to NYT, the former officer said:

“Rather than going in for the kill, the point man grabbed the women who were present and pushed them aside… Mr. O’Neill, in his version, did fire the fatal shots. We have known that this moment with Rob O’Neill coming out was going to happen sooner or later, and here it is.”

Although, there are other SEAL members who credit the point man of felling the terrorist. The unidentified point man, who is still with SEAL, wounded the Qaeda chief seriously “or even killed him” before the others shot at him. A retired SEAL Team 6 (the team responsible for the mission) member said that O’Neill only fired “insurance” bullets into Osama after he was taken down. In an editorial in CNN, the author wrote that a few other fellow SEALs from Team 6, who were present during the execution, called O’Neill’s version “complete BS.” According to another Bissonnette’s version, who published the best seller “No Easy Day” two years ago under the pen name Mark Owen, the point man shot Osama in the head after which “he and another assaulter entered the room.” CNN editorial although points out an interesting fact. According to the author’s source, before the mission, the “assault team” was strictly instructed not to shoot Osama in the face unless they absolutely had to as the CIA would need good pictures of Osama for facial recognition experts to work effectively. “Yet the Shooter in the Esquire story says he shot bin Laden on purpose twice in the forehead.” Neither of the stories could be confirmed independently. Present and retired members of the SEAL unanimously lauded the courage of the “point man” who had taken the fatal shot at the terror mastermind and also added that he “in a million years” would not speak publicly about his role in the raid. According to the CNN editorial, the SEAL members — former and present — consider Bissonnette more credible than O’Neill. Meanwhile, in an open letter, the commander of the Navy SEALs slammed O’Neill for giving away the “tell-all interview” describing how he killed Osama Bin Laden. According to the Washington Post, Rear Admiral Brian Losey said that “seeking public notoriety and financial gain from sharing secret operations is a betrayal of Navy SEAL values.” He also warned legal action against anyone who leaked classified information. Losey in the letter wrote:

“A critical tenant of our Ethos is “I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions.” Our Ethos is a life-long commitment and obligation, both in and out of the Service. We will actively seek judicial consequence for members who willfully violate the law, and place our Teammates, our Families, and potential future operations at risk.”

SEALs have forever been the “quiet professionals” who are not hungry for publicity. But the article in the New York Times noted that recently members of the elite force are all over on “the bestseller list.”