U.S. officials now say Osama bin Laden was not killed in a firefight, and was not armed when he died. The officials backed away from a number of claims made about the Pakistan raid by U.S. SEALs that killed the al-Qaida founder and leader Sunday night.
Politico reported Tuesday that during an off-camera briefing late Monday officials confirmed a woman was among the five people killed in the raid, but said she was not bin Laden's wife and bin Laden had not used her as a human shield.
John Brennan, deputy national security adviser, told reporters during a televised news conference Monday that bin Laden was part of the firefight during the 40-minute operation at the Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound.
And at a Pentagon briefing earlier in the day, a senior official said bin Laden was using the woman as a shield so he could fire off rounds -- "He was firing behind her" -- Politico reported. In another background briefing earlier Monday, an official said bin Laden was killed participating in the firefight.