White House: bin Laden was unarmed

WASHINGTON (AP):

Osama bin Laden was unarmed when he was confronted by United States (US) commandos at his Pakistani hideout but tried to resist the assault, the White House said yesterday as new details emerged about the audacious raid that killed the world's most wanted terrorist.

The White House said it was considering whether to release photos that were taken of bin Laden after he was killed but was concerned that the photos were "gruesome" and could be inflammatory.

Other details that emerged yesterday, according to US officials: One of bin Laden's wives tried to rush the commandos and was shot in the leg. High temperatures caused a lumbering helicopter carrying the raiders to make a hard landing. And as Navy SEALs swept through the compound, they handcuffed those they encountered with plastic zip ties and pressed on in pursuit of their target, code-named Geronimo.

Once bin Laden had been shot, they doubled back to move the prisoners away from the compound before blowing up the downed helicopter.

The fuller picture of the high-stakes assault emerged as US officials weighed whether to release video and photos of bin Laden, who was killed with a shot above his left eye.