Obama: Bin Laden pics won't be released

WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday he will not release pictures of a dead Osama bin Laden because doing so would be tantamount an end zone celebration.

The al-Qaida founder was killed in a raid on his compound near Islamabad, Pakistan.

In an interview to be televised Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," Obama said: "It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool. That's not who we are. We don't trot out this stuff as trophies.

"The fact of the matter is this was somebody who was deserving of the justice that he received, and I think Americans and people around the world are glad that he is gone. But we don't need to spike the football, and I think that, given the graphic nature of these photos, it would create some national security risk, and I've discussed this with [Defense Secretary] Bob Gates and [Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton and my intelligence teams, and they all agree."

White House spokesman Jay Carney read the remarks from a transcript during the daily White House briefing. Carney said in response to a question the decision, which was finalized Wednesday, was backed by a majority of those discussing the issue with Obama.

"There's a long history of images like that being used to rally opinion against people; to turn people in those photographs into heroes. And you know, we're not interested in doing that," Carney said.

Bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, Monday, local time. Administration officials said he was shot in the head and chest and his body buried at sea.

The Washington Post said Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, backed the president's decision, saying releasing pictures of a bullet-riddled body would serve no real purpose. CNN reported a spokesman for John Boehner of Ohio said the House speaker also supported Obama's decision.

But Sarah Palin, a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2012, criticized Obama's decision on Twitter.

"Show photo as warning to others seeking America's destruction. No pussy-footing around, no politicking, no drama; it's part of the mission," the former Alaska governor said in her online message.

The White House announced Wednesday the president will travel to Fort Campbell, Ky., Friday, where he will address members of the U.S. military who have recently returned from deployment.