{"id":1658,"date":"2026-07-22T19:31:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T19:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=1658"},"modified":"2026-07-22T19:31:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T19:31:24","slug":"navy-seal-who-shot-osama-bin-laden-breaks-silence-on-long-standing-theory-over-what-happened-to-his-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=1658","title":{"rendered":"Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden breaks silence on long-standing theory over what happened to his body"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For more than a decade, one question has continued to fuel debate, conspiracy theories, and endless online speculation: What really happened to Osama bin Laden\u2019s body after the raid that ended his life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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One former Navy SEAL has never shied away from discussing his role in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Years after the historic mission, his latest remarks are once again fueling debate about one of its most controversial unanswered questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than 15 years after Osama bin Laden\u2019s death, public fascination with the mission that brought down the al-Qaeda leader remains as strong as ever. Interest in the operation surged again last year following the release of Netflix\u2019s\u00a0American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden<\/em>, which explored the aftermath of 9\/11 and the years-long effort to track down the world\u2019s most wanted terrorist.<\/p>\n

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Bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, during Operation Neptune Spear, when members of SEAL Team Six stormed a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.<\/p>\n

While the raid itself has been extensively documented, questions surrounding what happened afterward have never fully gone away.<\/p>\n

The man who says he pulled the trigger<\/h3>\n

The U.S. government has never officially identified the person who fired the fatal shot that killed bin Laden.<\/p>\n

However, retired Navy SEAL Robert O\u2019Neill has repeatedly claimed that he was the one who ended the terrorist leader\u2019s life. O\u2019Neill, who appears prominently in the Netflix documentary, is one of several former SEALs who have publicly discussed the mission.<\/p>\n

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Another former SEAL, Matt Bissonnette, also shared his account of the operation in his 2012 book\u00a0No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Speaking in the documentary, O\u2019Neill described the moment he says he came face-to-face with bin Laden.<\/p>\n

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Robert O\u2019Neill speaks onstage during book signing and lecture at Richard Nixon Library on July 26, 2017 in Yorba Linda, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201dI turn this way and standing in front of me, two feet away is\u00a0Osama bin Laden. It was one of those moments in life where things slow down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201dHe\u2019s taller than I thought, he\u2019s skinnier than I thought, his beard was grey\/white, but I recognized his nose, this is definitely him. He\u2019s not surrendering, he\u2019s a threat, not only to me but to my entire team, he has to die,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The former SEAL has also spoken publicly about what happened in the moments immediately after bin Laden was killed, including an act of compassion he says he showed toward the terrorist leader\u2019s young son.<\/p>\n

Recalling the scene, he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI can hear bin Laden taking his last breath. When I shot him he fell to the foot of the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shot him in the face three times. I moved Amal [bin Laden\u2019s wife] and\u2026 his two-year-old son is now standing there, and this is the humanity of everything. This kid has got nothing to do with this. I\u2019m a father. I picked him up and I move them to the back of the bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What happened after the raid?<\/h3>\n

According to official U.S. accounts, bin Laden\u2019s body was transported to Afghanistan following the raid so authorities could confirm his identity.<\/p>\n

Afterward, the remains were flown to the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier.<\/p>\n

U.S. officials have long maintained that Islamic funeral rites were performed before bin Laden was buried at sea in the Arabian Sea.<\/p>\n

Authorities said the burial took place within 24 hours of his death, following Islamic customs that traditionally call for a swift burial after death.<\/p>\n

The conspiracy theories that won\u2019t go away<\/h3>\n

Despite the official explanation, the decision to bury bin Laden at sea immediately sparked controversy.<\/p>\n

Over the years, conspiracy theories have flourished, with some people claiming there is no proof bin Laden was ever killed. Others have suggested a body double may have been used.<\/p>\n

The theory gained significant attention in 2020 after then-President Donald Trump retweeted an article promoting the claim.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill was\u00a0quick to respond.<\/p>\n

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\u201dVery brave men said good bye to their kids to go kill Osama bin Laden. We were given the order by President Obama. It was not a body double. Thank you Mr. President.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill addresses the burial debate<\/h3>\n

Following the release of the Netflix series, O\u2019Neill once again found himself answering questions about what happened to bin Laden\u2019s remains.<\/p>\n

This time, he made it clear that he had no involvement in the burial itself.<\/p>\n

\u201dI didn\u2019t bury anyone at sea, BTW\u2026\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n

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