News Digest

Is Robert O’Neill the man who shot bin Laden?

More than three years after al-Qaeda founder and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. Special Forces raid, the man who fired the killing shot has apparently been identified. Former Red Squadron Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill is reportedly the person referred to as “The Shooter” in a March 2014 Esquire article about the May 2, 2011, raid. This is according to SOFREP, a website dedicated to military and special-ops news. O’Neill is set to reveal his identity during a two-part Fox News special next week, entitled “The Man Who Killed Usama Bin Laden”. Fox News said it had no plans to cancel the program.

A critical tenet of our Ethos is ‘I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions’.

Rear Admiral Brian Losey and the top enlisted sailor, Force Master Chief Michael Magaraci

Meanwhile, the commander of U.S. Navy SEALs has issued a stinging rebuke to troops who have broken the elite force’s hallowed tradition of secrecy and humility by publishing memoirs and speaking to the media. Rear Admiral Brian Losey, the head of Naval Special Warfare Command, wrote to his troops denouncing anyone who seeks fame or fortune by revealing details of secret missions. The commander warned in the letter that “we will actively seek judicial consequence for members who wilfully violate the law” by revealing classified information. The Pentagon could not confirm if the commando identified in the documentary took part in the May 2011 raid.