WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A U.S. Navy SEAL who has authored a first-hand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden says the al Qaeda leader was shot in the head as he peeked from a bedroom door, an account that diverges from the Obama administration’s original description of the incident.
The book, “No Easy Day,” says bin Laden was unarmed when Navy SEALs found him during the raid on his Pakistan compound, according to a source who read the book, which is due to be released on Sept. 4.
The book’s author, writing under the pseudonym “Mark Owen,” says bin Laden was looking out from his bedroom door when he was shot in the head, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In the confused hours after the raid, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan had said originally that bin Laden “was engaged in a firefight” with the Navy SEALs.
The White House amended that account a day later, saying he was not armed but had resisted capture inside an upper-floor bedroom in the compound.
National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor declined comment on the book.
“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,’“ Vietor said. Colonel Tim Nye, spokesman for the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, said he and other Defense Department officials received copies of the book late last week from the publisher, Dutton.
U.S. officials said last week they were surprised by the book, which was not vetted by government agencies to ensure that no secrets were revealed.
