President Obama, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden, May 1, 2011.
Washington, D.C. - The White House held a press conference Tuesday afternoon and talked about the pictures they previously released of President Obama and members of the national security team getting live updates during the operation that lead to the death of Osama bin Laden.
Jay Carney, The White House press secretary would not go into detail about how they were getting the intelligence.
Photo Gallery: Osama bin Laden is dead
When asked about the possible release of either pictures or video of Osama bin Laden, Carney said, "They are reviewing information and already made a great deal of it public. They are still reviewing the pictures and video to see if it's appropriate to be released."
"There are sensitivities in terms of releasing photographs of Osama bin Laden. Does it serve or harm their interests globally. It's fair to say that it's a gruesome photograph," Carney stated.
The operation lasted 40 minutes and the team was engaged in a firefight during the entire mission. Two other families were in the compound with the bin Laden family. One team started on the first floor and worked their way to the third floor. Osama did resist but was not armed. A woman, Osama's wife was in the room with him and rushed the American forces and was shot in the leg but was not killed.
The White House press secretary then said bin Laden's body was washed and put in a white sheet and in a weighted bag and then was eased into the sea.
Description of Osama death photos
A senior U.S. official tells CNN the White House received three sets of photos on Monday. The photos included:
1. Photos of bin Laden's body at a hangar after he was brought back to Afghanistan. This is the most recognizable with a clear picture of his face. The picture is gruesome because he has a massive open head wound across both eyes. It's very bloody and gory.
2. Photos from the burial at sea on the USS Carl Vinson. Photos of bin Laden before the shroud was put on and then wrapped in the shroud.
3. There are photos of the raid itself that include photos of the two dead brothers, one of bin Laden's dead son (adult adolescent, maybe approx 18 yrs old) and some of the inside scene of the compound.
The official says the challenge is that the picture that includes the most recognizable image of bin Laden's face - from the hangar in Afghanistan - is so gruesome and mangled, it's not appropriate for something like the front page of the newspaper. On the other hand, this is the one that is most identifiable as him.
10 News and CNN