Osama bin Laden death conspiracy theories

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The death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, gave rise to various conspiracy theories, hoaxes and rumors.[1] These include the ideas that he had died earlier, or that he lived beyond the reported date. Doubts about Bin Laden's death were fueled by the U.S. military's supposed disposal of his body at sea,[2] the decision to not release any photographic or DNA evidence of Bin Laden's death to the public,[3] the contradicting accounts of the incident (with the official story on the raid appearing to change or directly contradict previous assertions),[4] and the 25-minute blackout during the raid on Bin Laden's compound during which a live feed from cameras mounted on the helmets of the U.S. special forces was cut off.[5][6]

Within hours, an image purporting to show a dead Bin Laden was broadcast on Pakistani television. Although the story was picked up by much of the British press, as well the Associated Press, it was swiftly removed from websites after it was exposed as a fake on Twitter.[7][8]

On May 4, the Obama administration announced it would not release any images of Bin Laden's dead body.[9] The administration said it had considered releasing the photos to dispel rumors of a hoax, at the risks of perhaps prompting another attack by al Qaeda and of releasing very graphic images to people who might find them disturbing.[1][10] Several photos of the aftermath of the raid were given to Reuters by an anonymous Pakistani security official, but though all appeared to be authentic, they were taken after the U.S. forces had left and none of them included evidence regarding Bin Laden's fate.[11]

On May 6, it was reported that an al-Qaeda website acknowledged bin Laden's death.[12] On May 11, Republican senator and Senate Armed Services Committee member Jim Inhofe stated he had viewed "gruesome" photographs of Bin Laden's corpse, and later confirmed that the body "was him", adding, "He's history".[13]

On May 21, 2015, journalist Seymour Hersh published a report[14] claiming that Pakistan had kept Bin Laden under house arrest since 2006, that the U.S. had learned of Bin Laden's location through a Pakistani intelligence official and not through tracking a courier,[15][16][17] and that elements of the Pakistani military aided the U.S. in killing bin Laden.[15][18] The White House denied Hersh's report.[19][20]

  1. ^ a b Gold, Matea; Cloud, David S.; Brown, Eryn (May 3, 2011). "Osama bin Laden dead: Bin Laden's burial at sea fuels 'death hoax' rumor". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ Alison Bowen. "Osama bin Laden: Conspiracy theories thrive on lack of proof". Metro. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  3. ^ Richard Lardner (Sep 28, 2011). "US tells court bin Laden photos must stay secret". Washington. Associated Press.
  4. ^ Robert Booth (May 4, 2011). "The killing of Osama bin Laden: how the White House changed its story". Guardian. London.
  5. ^ Swinford, Steven (May 4, 2011). "Osama bin Laden dead: Blackout during raid on bin Laden compound". Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011.
  6. ^ Steven Swinford (May 6, 2011). "Doubts grow on US version of strike against bin Laden". Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. ^ Amelia Hill (May 2, 2011). "Osama bin Laden corpse photo is fake". Guardian. London.
  8. ^ "Bin Laden death photo: FAKE!". MilitaryTimes. Archived from the original on 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  9. ^ Montopoli, Brian (2011-05-04). "Obama: I won't release bin Laden death photos ." CBS News. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  10. ^ "Osama bin Laden killed: live coverage". Telegraph. London.
  11. ^ Allbritton, Chris; John Boyle (4 May 2011). "Photos show three dead men at bin Laden raid house". Reuters. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  12. ^ Douglas Stanglin (May 6, 2011). "Al-Qaeda confirms bin Laden's death, threatens new attacks". USA Today.
  13. ^ Members of Congress see bin Laden photos, CNN.com, May 11, 2011
  14. ^ Seymour M. Hersh (20 May 2015). "The Killing of Osama bin Laden". London Review of Books. 37 (10).
  15. ^ a b Hersh, Seymour (21 May 2015). "The Killing of Osama bin Laden". The London Review of Books. Retrieved 11 May 2015 – via The London Review of Books.
  16. ^ Schwarz, Jon; Devereaux, Ryan (12 May 2015). "CLAIM: SY HERSH'S BIN LADEN STORY IS TRUE — BUT OLD NEWS". The Intercept. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  17. ^ Cole, Matthew; Esposito, Richard; Windrem, Robert; Mitchell, Andrea (11 May 2015). "Pakistanis Knew Where Osama Bin Laden Was, U.S. Sources Say". NBC News. NBC News. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  18. ^ "Osama Bin Laden was an unarmed elderly 'invalid' when Navy Seals killed him and Barack Obama lied about the mission, report claims". The Independent. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  19. ^ "White House dismisses new Osama bin Laden raid claims". Telegraph. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  20. ^ "'Utter nonsense': CIA and White House blast Seymour Hersh's explosive Osama bin Laden raid story". Washington Post. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.