Osama bin Laden was not armed when US special forces stormed his compound in Pakistan but he did resist before he was shot, White House spokesman Jay Carney said today.
Mr Carney said the killing of bin Laden was not likely to affect the US timetable for bringing American troops out of Afghanistan.
Mr Carney warned that a photograph of Bin Laden's corpse was ‘gruesome’and said it was concerned it could be inflammatory if it was publicly released.
‘We are reviewing the situation,’ he said. ‘We are going about this in a methodical way and trying to make the best call.’
Mr Carney added that senior administration officials were discussing whether it would be advisable to release the photograph.
CIA Chief Leon Paretta told American broadcaster NBC that the photo would ultimately be released.
Bin Laden’s wife was shot in the leg, but not killed, Mr Carney said, reversing an earlier report that she died being used as a human shield in the shoot-out.
