WASHINGTON — Former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette says commandos raiding Osama bin Laden's Pakistan hideout last year shot him dead instead of capturing him because his arms were hidden and may have been holding weapons.
Appearing Sunday on CBS's 60 Minutes, Bissonnette said one SEAL fired after seeing a man's head poking into a hallway. Bissonnette said he and another SEAL shot bin Laden again after finding him on his bedroom floor with a bullet in his skull, because bin Laden's hands were hidden.
That's more detail than included in No Easy Day, the newly released book Bissonnette wrote under the pseudonym Mark Owen.
Pentagon officials say bin Laden was only shot after fleeing into his bedroom, and have threatened legal action against Bissonnette for possible releases of classified information.
An official review of the book determined that it reveals "sensitive and classified" information, Pentagon press secretary George Little said last week. He was not more specific but said the author was required to submit the book to the Pentagon before publication for a formal review of potential disclosures of such information.
He told reporters that the Pentagon is still reviewing what legal options should be taken against the author.
A lawyer for Bissonnette has disputed that he was legally obliged to have the book screened before publication.
Bissonnette's co-author, Kevin Maurer, said last week that Bissonnette "was meticulous about adhering to his desire to never do anything to undermine the SEALs' mission or put his former colleagues in harm's way."
Loading...