Osama Bin Laden’s death detailed in ex-Navy SEAL’s upcoming book

In the book “No Easy Day,” a former Navy SEAL writing under the pseudonym Mark Owen, details the death of Osama Bin Laden. The book, whose cover proclaims that it is “the firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden,” will hit shelves Tuesday, a week earlier than scheduled, due to demand.

Also, perhaps, due to the fact that several media outlets have gotten copies of it and begun revealing its contents.

The Associated Press reports, “Bin Laden apparently was hit in the head when he looked out of his bedroom door into the top-floor hallway of his compound as SEALs rushed up a narrow stairwell in his direction, according to former Navy SEAL Mark Bissonnette, writing under the pseudonym Mark Owen. ... Bissonnette says he was directly behind a ‘point man’ going up the stairs. ‘Less than five steps’ from top of the stairs, he heard ‘suppressed’ gunfire: ‘BOP. BOP.’ The point man had seen a ‘man peeking out of the door’ on the right side of the hallway.”

Bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, had gone into hiding after claiming responsibility for the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. He was discovered in Pakistan and killed May 2, 2011, in a raid led by American forces.

The Associated Press’ report continues with a grisly description of that raid. “Bissonnette writes that Bin Laden ducked back into his bedroom and the SEALs followed, only to find the terrorist crumpled on the floor in a pool of blood with a hole visible on the right side of his head and two women wailing over his body.”

News organizations have pointed out that this account contradicts the official one issued by the Obama administration. The official account said that Bin Laden had been thought to be reaching for a weapon. Forbes writes that “already, the book is making things decidedly less-than-easy for administration officials.”

The administration has declined to make a statement regarding the book, which is being published just as the presidential contest heats up.

“No Easy Day,” co-written by Kevin Maurer, will be published next week by Penguin. Since “Mark Owen” was identified as Bissonette by Fox News, there have reportedly been calls for his death.

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