Graphic image of bin Laden’s bloody face: fake
Posted May 4, 2011 10:02:34 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON – New details about the raid that killed the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, have emerged while the debate on releasing graphic photos of him dead continues.
CNN’s Brianna Keeler said there are two main factors U.S. officials have to consider before finalizing decisions to release photos.
“On one hand, there’s this sense that it’s important to have that visual proof that Osama bin Laden is dead, but on the other hand there are concerns that this could [incite] Muslims extremists,” she said outside the White House.
A graphic image of what was reported to be Osama bin Laden’s bloodied face went viral over the Internet. It was plastered in newspapers and aired during television newscasts in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Senegal and Iraq.
Experts confirmed the photo as a fake – describing it as poorly photoshopped. The doctored image used a combination of two photographs: a bloodied corpse and a real image of bin Laden, The Guardian in Britain reported.
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency said at least one picture of bin Laden’s body will likely be made public; although, he won’t say when.
The Obama administration has several graphic images of the corpse of bin Laden and hopes releasing one photo would end any doubt that the al-Qaida leader is dead.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials have changed their story surrounding the final events of bin Laden’s life.
Initially, reports said he went down shooting and using women as human shields. Now, White House officials are offering revisions, saying bin Laden wasn’t armed and didn’t use any human shields, but instead resisted when officials entered the compound.
