The world will not see the Osama bin Laden death photos any time soon.
CBS News is reporting that in a “60 Minutes” interview set to air Sunday, the president will say that he will not release the reportedly gruesome photos of bin Laden’s death.
Excerpts of the interview will air on Wednesday night’s “CBS Evening News.”
“The risks of release outweigh the benefits,” the president told Steve Kroft in the interview. “Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East.”
“Imagine how the American people would react if Al Qaida killed one of our troops or military leaders, and put photos of the body on the internet,” he continued. “Osama bin Laden is not a trophy — he is dead and let’s now focus on continuing the fight until Al Qaida has been eliminated.”
Fox News White House correspondent Mike Emanuel explores the decision:
Yesterday it was widely speculated that at least one photo would be released in order to prove the terrorist’s death and bring closure. In fact, even CIA director Leon Panetta said yesterday that he thought a photo would be released.
“I mean, I think it will be,” Panetta said. However, he added that “the White House makes that final decision.”
It seems now it has.
This is a breaking story. Updates will be added.
No comments:
Post a Comment