Last updated at 7:43 AM on 4th May 2011
- White House confirms Bin Laden was shot in the head and chest
- His 12-year-old daughter saw him killed
- A woman in the bedroom confronted U.S. forces and was shot but not killed
- Bin Laden's human shield who tried to protect him was NOT his wife
- U.S. officials say terror leader's death will not affect American troops withdrawal from Afghanistan this summer
Amal Al-Sadah, 27, the terror chief’s latest and youngest bride, was shot in the leg during the special forces raid on his hideout but survived.
In initial accounts of the firefight, U.S. officials claimed Bin Laden was armed with an AK47 rifle and was using his wife as a ‘human shield’ when he was shot.
Changing stories: The White House has confirmed Osama bin Laden, right, was not armed when he was killed and that his wife Amal Al-Sadah, left, was not used as a human shield
But this evening the White House said Bin Laden was not armed when a U.S. Navy SEAL confronted and killed him during Sunday night's assault on his compound.
The discrepancy between the two versions of events was put down to the 'fog of combat' by the White House.
Over two days, the White House has offered quite a few contradictory versions of events, including misidentifying which of bin Laden's sons was killed and wrongly saying bin Laden's wife died in gunfire, as it tries to produce an accurate account.
US Press Secretary Jay Carney confirmed more details of the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden tonight
She is believed to be the wife of Bin Laden’s courier, Sheikh Abu Ahmed, who was also killed in the raid.
White House press secretary Jay Carney acknowledged that Bin Laden did not have a weapon even though administration officials have said that the terror leader resisted during the raid.
Carney said resistance does not require a firearm. Mr Carney also confirmed Bin Laden was shot in the head and in the chest. He added: ‘Bin Laden’s wife rushed the U.S. assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed. Bin Laden was then shot and killed. He was not armed. The U.S. personnel on the ground handled themselves with the utmost professionalism.
'He was killed in an operation because of the resistance that they met.’
In explanation of the discrepancies Mr Carney said that officials had been trying to get information out as quickly as possible about the complex event witnessed by just a handful of people, and the story line was being corrected.
'We provided a great deal of information with great haste in order to inform you.
'And obviously some of the information was, came in piece by piece and is being reviewed and updated and elaborated on.'
Meanwhile, the White House said Bin Laden's death would not affect plans to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan this summer.
An official with Parkistan's ISI told the BBC 17 or 18 people were inside the compound at the time of the attack.
One of those in the building was a daughter of Bin Laden's who saw her father fatally shot by U.S. forces, the official claimed.
Miss Al-Sadah was just 17 when she and Bin Laden wed in Afghanistan. She was born in Yemen and the marriage was reportedly arranged to strengthen the terrorist’s links with the Gulf state.
When her father gave her away he said he was ‘proud’ to do so. Bin Laden had sent her home to Yemen for her own safety but somehow she returned despite being under surveillance.
She has already told Pakistani investigators they had been living in the compound since 2005, according to Time magazine.
Extensive: Residents pass by the compound where Osama Bin Laden was killed in the early hours of Monday morning
Recovery: The remains of a U.S. helicopter are taken away from the site
Raided: A view of the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. military forces
More...
- Five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences at Sellafield nuclear power station
- How Bin Laden's most trusted courier led CIA to the compound where he had been living for 'SIX YEARS'
- Obama watched Bin Laden die on live video as shoot-out beamed to White House
- Cameron stands by Pakistan as furore grows over £650million we send to country that harboured Bin Laden
- Dumped in the Arabian Sea: Will White House now release video of Bin Laden's dead body and burial at sea?
- Power of Team 6, the elite within the elite: Who are the silent warriors that took out Osama bin Laden?
- Pakistan spy agency 'embarrassed' by failures over Bin Laden hideout... as 12-year-old boy reveals he was a regular visitor
It had apparently clipped a tail rotor on the wall of the compound and the pilot was forced to set down. No one was injured.
The compound is in a lush part of Pakistan and little resembles the hillside hideaway where popular myth claimed Bin Laden was hiding out
Attraction: Pakistani police and media gather outside the walls of the house
They were apparently helped in identifying their target when Miss Al-Sadah unwittingly screamed out his name in the melee. White House officials insist the Navy Seals were given orders to capture Bin Laden if he offered no resistance.
They were apparently helped in identifying their target when Miss Al-Sadah unwittingly screamed out his name in the melee. White House officials insist the Navy Seals were given orders to capture Bin Laden if he offered no resistance.
The commandos had been schooled in Arabic phrases which were to be shouted out in an attempt to get the terror leader to surrender.
But officials admitted they never expected him to do so, and it was unclear whether he was really been given the chance.
Confusion about the identities of those killed in the raid came despite the attack being viewed live by U.S. President Barack Obama and other senior officials.
Secret photos of the dead bin Laden seen by U.S. officials show a precision kill shot above his left eye, it was claimed today.
According to the U.S. account, the assault team on the compound in Abbottabad came away with hard drives, DVDs, documents and more that might tip U.S. intelligence to Al Qaeda's operational details and perhaps lead the manhunt to the presumed next-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri.
'We're moving with great dispatch to mine that' material for insights into terrorist plots that may be in the works and for clues as to the location of senior Al Qaeda officials, said John Brennan today.
Mr Brennan also asked today the question that was reverberating around the world: 'How did Osama bin Laden stay at that compound for six years or so and be undetected?'
He went on: 'We have many, many questions about this. And I know Pakistani officials do as well.'
Mr Brennan said Pakistani officials were trying to determine 'whether there were individuals within the Pakistani government or military intelligence services who were knowledgeable'.
One US source today said a 'motherload of intelligence' had been taken from Bin Laden’s compound including computer files, CD-Roms and other electronic information. It is being examined by U.S. intelligence experts at a secret location in Afghanistan.
'They cleaned it out,' said one official. 'Can you imagine what’s on Osama bin Laden’s hard drive? Hundreds of people are going through it now. It’s going to be great even if only 10 per cent of it is actionable.'
Giving further details today, Mr Brennan said the aim now was to use the information from the raid to thwart possible ongoing terrorist plots. He added: 'He seemed to be very active inside the compound. We know that he was in contact with some senior Al Qaeda officials.
'So what we’re trying to do now is to understand what he has been involved in over the past several years, exploit whatever information we were able to get at the compound and take that information and continue our efforts to destroy Al Qaeda.
THE 'FOG OF COMBAT': How White House changed its story
There have been a number of discrepancies issued by the White House since Sunday's raid.
Press Secretary Jay Carney blamed the below differing stories on the 'fog of combat.'
THEN: Osama Bin Laden was armed with an AK-47 during the raid.
NOW: The Al Qaeda leader was actually unarmed but did resist before he was shot.
THEN: On Monday, the White House said Bin Laden was involved in a firefight, which is why the SEALs killed rather than captured him.
NOW: On Tuesday, however, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Bin Laden did not fire on the SEALs.
THEN: Counter-terrorism chief, John Brennan said a woman, thought to be one of bin Laden’s wives, was used as a human shield during the raid and was killed.
NOW: Amal Al-Sadah, 27, bin Laden’s youngest wife, is thought to have rushed at the Navy SEALS and was shot in the leg but not killed. The woman who died was said to be the wife of one of his aides, caught in the cross fire.
THEN: A White House transcript said it was bin Laden’s son Hamza who was killed in the raid.
NOW: They then corrected that to another son Khalid.
THEN: The night of the raid, administration officials held a telephone briefing for reporters. 'During the raid, we lost one helicopter due to mechanical failure,' one of the administration officials said.
NOW: Later in the same call, another official contradicted that: 'We didn't say it was mechanical.'
Press Secretary Jay Carney blamed the below differing stories on the 'fog of combat.'
THEN: Osama Bin Laden was armed with an AK-47 during the raid.
NOW: The Al Qaeda leader was actually unarmed but did resist before he was shot.
THEN: On Monday, the White House said Bin Laden was involved in a firefight, which is why the SEALs killed rather than captured him.
NOW: On Tuesday, however, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Bin Laden did not fire on the SEALs.
THEN: Counter-terrorism chief, John Brennan said a woman, thought to be one of bin Laden’s wives, was used as a human shield during the raid and was killed.
NOW: Amal Al-Sadah, 27, bin Laden’s youngest wife, is thought to have rushed at the Navy SEALS and was shot in the leg but not killed. The woman who died was said to be the wife of one of his aides, caught in the cross fire.
THEN: A White House transcript said it was bin Laden’s son Hamza who was killed in the raid.
NOW: They then corrected that to another son Khalid.
THEN: The night of the raid, administration officials held a telephone briefing for reporters. 'During the raid, we lost one helicopter due to mechanical failure,' one of the administration officials said.
NOW: Later in the same call, another official contradicted that: 'We didn't say it was mechanical.'
But officials admitted they never expected him to do so, and it was unclear whether he was really been given the chance.
Confusion about the identities of those killed in the raid came despite the attack being viewed live by U.S. President Barack Obama and other senior officials.
Secret photos of the dead bin Laden seen by U.S. officials show a precision kill shot above his left eye, it was claimed today.
According to the U.S. account, the assault team on the compound in Abbottabad came away with hard drives, DVDs, documents and more that might tip U.S. intelligence to Al Qaeda's operational details and perhaps lead the manhunt to the presumed next-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri.
'We're moving with great dispatch to mine that' material for insights into terrorist plots that may be in the works and for clues as to the location of senior Al Qaeda officials, said John Brennan today.
Mr Brennan also asked today the question that was reverberating around the world: 'How did Osama bin Laden stay at that compound for six years or so and be undetected?'
He went on: 'We have many, many questions about this. And I know Pakistani officials do as well.'
Mr Brennan said Pakistani officials were trying to determine 'whether there were individuals within the Pakistani government or military intelligence services who were knowledgeable'.
One US source today said a 'motherload of intelligence' had been taken from Bin Laden’s compound including computer files, CD-Roms and other electronic information. It is being examined by U.S. intelligence experts at a secret location in Afghanistan.
'They cleaned it out,' said one official. 'Can you imagine what’s on Osama bin Laden’s hard drive? Hundreds of people are going through it now. It’s going to be great even if only 10 per cent of it is actionable.'
Giving further details today, Mr Brennan said the aim now was to use the information from the raid to thwart possible ongoing terrorist plots. He added: 'He seemed to be very active inside the compound. We know that he was in contact with some senior Al Qaeda officials.
'So what we’re trying to do now is to understand what he has been involved in over the past several years, exploit whatever information we were able to get at the compound and take that information and continue our efforts to destroy Al Qaeda.
Watching events unfold: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama Bin Laden
