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Robert O'Neill, Ex-Navy SEAL, Reveals He's The One Who Shot Osama Bin Laden

Robert O'Neill, Ex-Navy SEAL, Reveals He's The One Who Shot Osama Bin Laden
Paige Lavender
By 

Senior Editor, Breaking News, HuffPost

This image taken from video released by Qatar's Al-Jazeera televison broadcast on Friday Oct. 5, 2001 is said to show Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, at an undisclosed location. Al-Jazeera did not say whether the image was taken before or after the Sept. 11 attacks or how they obtained it. At right is bin Laden's top lieutenant, Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri. Bin Laden is believed to have been at a celebration of the union of his al-Qaida network and al-Zawahri's Egyptian Jihad group. Graphic at top right reads "Exclusive to Al-Jazeera." At bottom right is the station's logo which reads "Al-Jazeera." (AP Photo/Al-Jazeera via APTN)
This image taken from video released by Qatar's Al-Jazeera televison broadcast on Friday Oct. 5, 2001 is said to show Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, at an undisclosed location. Al-Jazeera did not say whether the image was taken before or after the Sept. 11 attacks or how they obtained it. At right is bin Laden's top lieutenant, Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri. Bin Laden is believed to have been at a celebration of the union of his al-Qaida network and al-Zawahri's Egyptian Jihad group. Graphic at top right reads "Exclusive to Al-Jazeera." At bottom right is the station's logo which reads "Al-Jazeera." (AP Photo/Al-Jazeera via APTN)

Robert O'Neill, a 38-year-old ex-Navy SEAL, revealed he's the one who shot Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

O'Neill was scheduled to reveal himself in a two-part documentary by Fox News this month. O'Neill told the Washington Post he decided to reveal his identity sooner after it was disclosed on a website ran by former Navy SEALs.

The Washington Post reports further on O'Neill's reasons for revealing his role in the raid:

O’Neill said he confirmed his decision to go public after a private encounter with relatives of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on New York’s World Trade Center. During an emotional meeting with victims’ family members before the recent opening of the National September 11 Memorial Museum, the former SEAL decided spontaneously to talk about how bin Laden met his end.

“The families told me it helped bring them some closure,” said O’Neill, whose identity as the shooter was independently corroborated for The Post by two SEAL team members.

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail spoke with O'Neill's father, Tom O'Neill, who said the family is not worried about Robert revealing himself as the shooter.

Read more at the Washington Post.

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