The US Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden has talked about what was going through his head moments before taking the shot, as part of a new Netflix documentary.
Bin Laden led the terrorist group Al-Qaeda and was the man who organised the 9/11 attacks in the United States. He was discovered and killed during a raid in his Abbottabad, Pakistan compound on May 2, 2011.
Robert J. O’Neill, who shot to fame (pardon the pun) after killing the world-renowned terrorist, has undergone a big change of career in recent years, and now sells cannabis to help fellow former soldiers deal with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
But he recalled his days as a Navy SEAL in Netflix’s latest documentary, which was due to arrive on our screens on Monday 10 March, but was inexplicably delayed.
The three-part series will feature rare footage and will provide an in-depth look at how the world mobilised to hunt down bin Laden, founder of the militant Islamist organisation al-Qaida, after his orchestration of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
Featuring interviews with key figures in the US government who assisted in the global pursuit, American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden recounts the decade-long mission to capture one of the world’s most notorious terrorists
Speaking on the documentary, Robert said: “These could be suicide bombers, but we can beat them, but we’ve gotta go now. I turn this way and standing in front of me, two feet away is Osama bin Laden.. It was one of those moments in life where things slow down.”
He added: “He’s taller than I thought, he’s skinnier than I thought, his beard was grey/white, but I recognised his nose, this is definitely him. He’s not surrendering, he’s a threat, not only to me but to my entire team, he has to die.”
The ex-SEAL has also previously spoken about what happened in the aftermath of Bin Laden’s death, including the humanity he showed towards the terrorist’s two-year-old son following his father’s graphic death.
He said: “I can hear bin Laden taking his last breath. When I shot him he fell to the foot of the bed.
“I shot him in the face three times. I moved Amal [bin Laden’s wife] and… 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’m a father. I picked him up and I move them to the back of the bed.”
There has been no update from Netflix thus far about the documentary, with screens still telling fans that the series is ‘coming soon’.
