14 DAY TRIAL // The war on terror may be far from over but at least a big victory was won with the death of Osama bin Laden, as President Barack Obama put it in his announcement of earlier this week. In light of media and political pressure to release the two photos taken of the dead Osama, the White House says it will never happen.
Ever since the US attack on Osama that resulted in his death, conspiracy theorists have been saying that the possibility that he’s still alive remains very high, even if his widow identified the body and there are countless testimonies to attest it.
As such, it was (and still is) considered that the best way to make the rumors stop would be to release the two photos of the dead Osama taken on the scene.
Initially, the White House said that they are too “gruesome” to be made public, because they show the gunshot wounds in detail, with lots of blood and brain matter plainly visible.
Now, President Obama is saying that releasing the photos would do nothing in terms of making the rumors go away, but only inflame spirits even more.
“The risks of release outweigh the benefits. 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,” the President said on 60 Minutes, as TMZ informs.
“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 added.
“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,” Obama added.
Even so, the media is not convinced. Shortly after the announcement, Jon Stewart discussed it on his show (see the video below), pointing out that, while the photos will not convince skeptics, they will at least offer Americans an insight into what war really looks like.