MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) – Ex-Navy Seal Robert O’Neill, who publically disclosed on Thursday that he had fired shots into Osama bin Laden during the raid in Pakistan in 2011, has outraged the Pentagon and drawn scorn from his colleagues, the Guardian informed.
“We will actively seek judicial consequence for members who wilfully violate the law and place our teammates, our families and potential future operations at risk,” said Rear Admiral Brian Losey and Force Master Chief Michael Magaraci in a statement, referring to the vow of silence given by SEAL members, as quoted by the Guardian.
The statement comes amid Robert O’Neill’s public interview, during which the ex-Navy Seal confirmed that he had fired two shots into the forehead of Osama bin Laden during the raid on the al-Qaeda leader’s compound in Pakistan in 2011.
In the interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, O’Neill said that people were increasingly becoming aware of his role and it was inevitable that his name would soon become public.
“There was bin Laden standing there. He had his hands on a woman’s shoulders… In that second, I shot him two times in the forehead. Bap! Bap! The second time as he’s going down. He crumpled onto the floor in front of his bed and I hit him again. He was dead.” O’Neill said in an interview, as quoted by Canadian CBC News.
Two other SEAL members said O’Neil was long known to have shot bin Laden, according to AP. The United States Defense Department, however, did not confirm who fired the fatal shot, although officials had announced that O’Neill was a member of SEAL Team Six and took part in the raid, the Washington Post said.
O’Neill, 38, is a decorated veteran who retired after 17 years of service in the force. He is already the second member of the SEAL Team Six that raided the compound who have gone public, the Guardian reported.
Matt Bissonnette also described the event in his book “No Easy Day”, which was published in 2012, the New Zealand Herald said.
The United States Navy SEALs, which stands for sea, air and land, are elite special force that mainly engages in special operations.
The SEALs was formed in 1962 and since then has carried out numerous operations worldwide, including Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. SEALS are known as “the quiet professionals”, as members take pride in doing dangerous work without public acclamation, The Guardian said.
