Navy SEAL Who Killed Bin Laden Is Revealed

The man known so far as "The Shooter" is
reportedly a veteran SEAL who lost some military
benefits despite his role in the raid.
The former Navy SEAL who shot and killed Osama
bin Laden has been identified for the first time as
Rob O'Neill.
The revelation in the Mail Online came ahead of a
Fox News interview in which Mr O'Neill is expected
to discuss the May 2011 raid in Abbottabad,
Pakistan, where the terror mastermind was killed.
The website described Mr O'Neill, 38, as a veteran
Navy SEAL who had concluded several tours of
duty, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He earned two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars
with Combat "V" among other decorations, the
report said. He left the service after 16 years.
His decision to come out as the killer of al Qaeda
leader bin Laden was made in part because he lost
some military benefits, having left the SEALs before
a full 20 years of service, according to the report.
He did so fully aware of the risks he faced.
"People are asking if we are worried that ISIS will
come and get us because Rob is going public," his
father, Tom O'Neill, told the Mail Online.
"I say I'll paint a big target on my front door and
say 'come and get us'."
Mr O'Neill had already spoken to Esquire magazine
in a piece published last year, but his identity had
not been revealed and he had been identified only
as "The Shooter".
In that interview, he said he had joined the US
Navy at the age of 19 following a heartbreak. He
described the top secret lead-up to the raid, his
training and finally the mission.
"I'm not religious, but I always felt I was put on
the Earth to do something specific. After that
mission, I knew what it was," he told Esquire.
US Navy SEALs, both on active duty and retired,
possess highly sensitive information about tactics
and techniques that are central to the success of
their secret and often dangerous missions
overseas.
That is why they are obliged to sign non-
disclosure agreements when they enter service and
when they leave.
Another member of the team, Matt Bissonnette,
who wrote a first-hand account called No Easy
Day under the pseudonym Mark Owen, is under
criminal investigation.
He is suing his ex-lawyers for allegedly giving him
bad advice.