Obama Refuses to Release Osama Death Photos

Speaking about the photographs of Osama Bin Laden, White House sportsman Jay Carney said today: 'These are graphic pictures of someone who was shot in the head and it's not in our national security interests to allow these images, as in the past has been the case, to become icons to rally opinion against the U.S.

'He (Obama) held this opinion very firmly. The President never gets to make a decision that is 100 per cent obvious as those decisions never get to his desk.'

The U.S. went to 'extraordinary measures' to show respect to Bin Laden in his burial, Mr Carney said.

He added: 'There is no doubt question at all that Osama Bin Laden is dead. Americans feel a great sense of closure because of that.'

'This decision (not to release the photo) applies to all visual evidence.'

Mr Carney also added that U.S. forces had gone to 'considerable' efforts to give the al-Qaeda leader an appropriate Islamic burial.

'The respect that was show to him and his body were far greater than the respect Osama Bin Laden showed to any of the victims of 9/11.'

Mr Carney then quoted an interview President Obama gave to CBS today, saying: 'We don’t trot out this stuff as trophies. We don’t need to spike the football.

'We're absolutely certain that this is him (Bin Laden). Certainly there's no doubt among Al Qaeda members that he is dead. You will not see Bin Laden walking on this earth again.'

Mr Carney said it's important the images are not 'floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool.'