US President Barack Obama has decided not to release photographs showing Osama bin Laden's corpse - as gruesome details of the images emerged.
The pictures of the al Qaeda leader reportedly show an open gun shot wound to his head, part of the skull missing and visible brain matter.
One of bin Laden's eyes is reportedly open in the images, while the other is "completely gone".
But the US President said in an interview with American TV network CBS - to be screened on Sunday - that he has concluded the pictures should not be made public.
"That's not who we are," he said.
I don't think there was any question that ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public. We got bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him.
Leon Panetta, CIA director
The President feared doing so may prompt a similar response to that seen after images of Saddam Hussein's dead sons were published in 2003.
There may also have been security concerns for two separate reasons. Firstly, Mr Obama is due to appear in public at New York's Ground Zero on Thursday.
Secondly, there were fears releasing any inflammatory photo so close to Friday's day of prayer could trigger violent protests.
Mr Carney had previously told reporters the set of pictures taken in an aircraft hangar in Afghanistan are "gruesome".
Another set of images, taken as bin Laden was buried at sea from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, are easier to view, but not obviously the terror network leader.
It is unclear whether those pictures will be released.
But while reservations persisted within the White House about the photographs' publication, the CIA clearly believed it would help prevent any conspiracy theories from taking root.
The agency's chief, Leon Panetta, told NBC's Nightly News programme: "The government obviously has been talking about how best to do this, but I don't think there was any question that ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public.
"We got bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him."
Sky News US political analyst Jon-Christopher Bua said: "To release or not to release that is the question.
"Photos of 'dead martyrs' have a long life span."
The pictures of the al Qaeda leader reportedly show an open gun shot wound to his head, part of the skull missing and visible brain matter.
One of bin Laden's eyes is reportedly open in the images, while the other is "completely gone".
But the US President said in an interview with American TV network CBS - to be screened on Sunday - that he has concluded the pictures should not be made public.
"That's not who we are," he said.
I don't think there was any question that ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public. We got bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him.
Leon Panetta, CIA director
The President feared doing so may prompt a similar response to that seen after images of Saddam Hussein's dead sons were published in 2003.
There may also have been security concerns for two separate reasons. Firstly, Mr Obama is due to appear in public at New York's Ground Zero on Thursday.
Secondly, there were fears releasing any inflammatory photo so close to Friday's day of prayer could trigger violent protests.
Mr Carney had previously told reporters the set of pictures taken in an aircraft hangar in Afghanistan are "gruesome".
Another set of images, taken as bin Laden was buried at sea from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, are easier to view, but not obviously the terror network leader.
It is unclear whether those pictures will be released.
But while reservations persisted within the White House about the photographs' publication, the CIA clearly believed it would help prevent any conspiracy theories from taking root.
The agency's chief, Leon Panetta, told NBC's Nightly News programme: "The government obviously has been talking about how best to do this, but I don't think there was any question that ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public.
"We got bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him."
Sky News US political analyst Jon-Christopher Bua said: "To release or not to release that is the question.
"Photos of 'dead martyrs' have a long life span."
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