WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama has decided not to release photographs of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's body, a senior administration official told NBC News on Wednesday.

Obama also announced the decision not to release post-mortem photos during an interview Wednesday with CBS' "60 Minutes."

The White House had been weighing the release of a photo, in part to offer proof that bin Laden was killed during a raid on his compound early Monday. However, officials had cautioned that the photo was gruesome and could be inflammatory.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, some of whom have seen the pictures taken by Navy SEALs, agreed with the president.

"In my opinoin there is no end served by releasing a picture of someone who has been killed," Democratic House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said during an unrelated news briefing on Wednesday. "I think there is absolute proof that Osama bin Laden was in fact the person that was taken into custody... killed in the firefight."

"Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway," GOP House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told CBS, "and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East."

The decision comes a day after CIA director Leon Panetta said that a photo proving the death of Osama bin Laden "would be presented to the public," but the comment quickly drew a response from the White House saying no decision has yet been made.
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"The bottom line is that, you know, we got bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him," Panetta said in an interview with Nightly News.

The White House had earlier expressed concerns about making any death images of bin Laden public, considering the nature of his fatal wounds. U.S. officials say the still-secret photographic evidence shows a precision kill shot above his left eye, which blew away part of his skull. He was also shot in the chest, they said.

The White House said the photograph of a dead Osama bin Laden is "gruesome" and that "it could be inflammatory" if released.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that officials were concerned about the "sensitivity" of doing so. Carney said there is a discussion internally about the most appropriate way to handle but "there is not some roiling debate here about this."
Story: Transcript of interview with CIA director Panetta

Panetta said the photos leave no question that bin Laden was killed. "Obviously I've seen those photographs," he said. "We've analyzed them and there's no question that it's bin Laden."

Neither official disclosed what the outcome of the discussions was but noted that everyone knew the ultimate decision would rest with the White House. The same official said he did not expect a decision Tuesday, but said it would not surprise him that much, NBC News reported.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials were balancing that skepticism with the sensitivities that might be inflamed by showing images and video of his burial at sea.

"We are going to do everything we can to make sure that nobody has any basis to try to deny that we got Osama bin Laden," John Brennan, Obama's counterterrorism adviser, said Monday. He said the U.S. will "share what we can because we want to make sure that not only the American people but the world understand exactly what happened."
PhotoBlog: Bin Laden 'death photo' a fake?

In July 2003, the U.S. took heat but also quieted most conspiracy theorists by releasing graphic photos of the corpses of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's two powerful sons to prove American forces had killed them.

So far, the U.S. has cited evidence that satisfied the Navy SEAL force, and at least most of the world, that they had the right man in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Story: DNA confirms bin Laden death

The helicopter-borne raiding squad that swarmed the luxury compound identified bin Laden by appearance. A woman in the compound who was identified as his wife was said to have called out bin Laden's name in the melee.

Officials produced a quick DNA match from his remains that they said established bin Laden's identity, even absent the other techniques, with 99.9 percent certainty. U.S. officials also said bin Laden was identified through photo comparisons and other methods.

Thats where you have to believe I don't know if you live in the USA or not. But you have to believe in your Country even though I do not live in the USA I live in Canada and I still believe they killed him.