This image, captioned as the dead Osama bin Laden, and carried by Indian and Pakistani news channels as well as a number of news websites, is fake. The distorted picture has been circulating on the internet for at least two years, and seems to be an alteration of a genuine Reuters photograph of bin Laden taken in 1998.
Pakistani Television stations today carried images of Osama bin Laden's bloodied face after the US announced that the world's most wanted terrorist had been killed.
"The picture of bin Laden's body has been released. It is unverified," Pakistan's largest TV network Geo TV announced.
Other channels also showed the images of the face of the world's most wanted man, sporting a bushy and black beard without much traces of white or grey detected in his most recent video footage released to the media.
The picture showed extensive blood stain on his forehead and left temple. The right eye appeared shut, but the whites of the eyes were visible.
The hair appeared mangled and mouth was shown slightly open with teeth showing.
Osama's body would be handled in Islamic tradition, US officials said, without elaborating whether it will be taken to America or buried in Pakistan.
"We are ensuring that it is handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition. This is something that we take very seriously. And so therefore this is being handled in an appropriate manner," a senior administration official said.
From elsewhere:
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