The expected reason for this response by the President is that there is a fear that it may spark terrorists to plan or carry out attacks due to the supposed gruesome nature of the photo.
However, right after Bin Laden's death, a fake photo made its rounds and was picked up by news outlets from North America to the Middle East. That photo was quite gruesome, and quite possibly more gruesome than the photo the White House says it has but will not release.
Any outrage over Bin Laden's death, fake or not, was probably already caused by that photo, or just by the fact that he is dead.
To photographers, it was quite obvious that the photo was an outright doctored photo, and a poor Photoshop job at that. But to many, it was quite believable. Considering it was plastered over newspapers all over the world, I have a feeling the damage has been done.
In addition to those fears of retaliation, many just would like some sort of proof on his death, as within hours of his announced death, he was buried at sea. This is quite different from the public spectacle that was made of Saddam Hussein. The video of Saddam's hanging was leaked and broadcast to the media within hours. In that case, the Iraqis handled the execution, not the Americans, thus it was probably the Iraqis who leaked the photo. In contrast, the U.S. did reveal photos of Hussein's sons' bodies, after many believed they were still alive after the U.S. declared they had killed them in a gunfight. Those photos quickly quited the conspiracists.
The Taliban themselves have called for some kind of evidence of his death.
"As the Americans did not provide any acceptable evidence to back up their claim, and as the other aides close to Osama bin Laden have not confirmed or denied the death … the Islamic Emirate considers any assertion premature," Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman said, according to Al Jazeera.
Courtesy of HO/AFP/Getty Images
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