New photos show smiling Giffords

Photos on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Facebook page show her with short hair and wearing glasses.NEW: Gabrielle Giffords' abilities are improving all the time, her spokesman saysNEW: But he cautions her road to recovery will be a long oneGiffords will stay in Texas for outpatient therapyThe photos were taken the day before her skull surgery

(CNN) -- The smiling photos of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords released Sunday, the first of her face since she was shot, capture the congresswoman's resilience, her spokesman said.

"I've seen her approximately once a month since she went to Houston, and every time I hear, I see ... tremendous improvement and I think these pictures really capture the resilience of Gabby Giffords," spokesman C.J. Karamargin told CNN. "She has a positive attitude. She is upbeat. And she is determined to recover as quickly as she can."

The photos, published on Giffords' Facebook page, were taken on May 17 -- the day before she underwent skull surgery at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, according to a message posted alongside the images.

May 17 was also the day after Giffords, D-Arizona, attended the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. Her husband Mark Kelly was commander of the mission.

Rep. Giffords' skull surgery

Taken outside, the photos show the congresswoman relaxed and smiling. She has short hair and is wearing glasses. One photo shows her alone, smiling at the camera; in the other, she is sitting alongside her mother.

They are the first photographs of Giffords' face since she was shot in the head in January and show how far she's come since then.

Karamargin said Giffords' verbal skills, physical strength and cognitive abilities are improving all the time.

But he cautioned the congresswoman still has many challenges ahead. He characterized her recovery as a "marathon," not a sprint.

"People shouldn't get the wrong impression," he said. "The congresswoman suffered a severe injury to one of the most sensitive areas to the human body. Her road to recovery is going to be a long one."

Giffords is expected to leave TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital and begin outpatient therapy in Texas by the end of the month, Karamargin said.

Prior to Sunday, Giffords' office had released a photo of just her hand, holding her husband's hand.

The photographer responsible for the new pictures said they were taken at the hospital.

"It was very inspiring to see how much she had recovered in 4 1/2 months," photographer P.K. Weis of SouthwestPhotoBank.com said in a statement. "I was excited to see her and to see her smile. She was glad to see me, was in a good mood, smiling and laughing and seemed to enjoy the experience. I certainly did, too."

Weis, who's known the congresswoman for more than a decade, said "her staff asked me to do it because she wanted someone who was not a stranger -- someone she would be comfortable around."

The Facebook post Sunday quickly filled with dozens of comments and "likes."

"She looks remarkably good!" said Facebook poster Jeffery Haas.

"You are so special," another fan, John Evanchik, wrote. "And you have so much courage and fortitude that I am so proud to say that you are a real role model for so many people who, in their circumstance, they probably give up, but not you, Congresswoman. Yes, God has blessed you."

Six people were killed and 13 others, including Giffords, were wounded when a gunman opened fire in front of a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is charged in the mass shooting. A federal judge ruled last month that he is not competent to stand trial, based on the results of court-ordered medical evaluations of Loughner.

Loughner to face further evaluation

The U.S. attorney general will take custody of Loughner for a period not to exceed four months, during which he will be taken to a hospital for further evaluation to determine if he will become competent to stand trial. Prosecutors said Loughner could be readied for competency through proper medication, and this practice has proved successful in other cases.

CNN's Lisa Sylvester contributed to this report.

CNN

New photos show smiling Giffords

Photos on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Facebook page show her with short hair and wearing glasses.NEW: Giffords will stay in Texas for outpatient therapyThe photos were taken the day before her skull surgeryShe was "in a good mood," the photographer said"You are truly a walking miracle," a supporter says on Facebook

(CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will leave her rehabilitation facility and begin outpatient therapy by the end of June, her spokesman said Sunday.

She will depart TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston and remain in Texas for therapy, C.J. Karmargin said.

News of the milestone in Giffords' recovery came as the public saw the first photos of her face since she was shot in the head in January.

Taken outside, the photos show her smiling. She has short hair and is wearing glasses. One photo shows her alone, smiling at the camera; in the other, she is sitting alongside her mother.

The photos, published Sunday on her Facebook page, were taken May 17 -- the day before she underwent skull surgery at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, according to a message alongside the photos.

May 17 was also the day after Giffords, D-Arizona, attended the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. Her husband Mark Kelly was commander of the mission.

"It was very inspiring to see how much she had recovered in 4 1/2 months," photographer P.K. Weis of SouthwestPhotoBank.com said in a statement. "I was excited to see her and to see her smile. She was glad to see me, was in a good mood, smiling and laughing and seemed to enjoy the experience. I certainly did, too."

He, who's known the congresswoman for more than a decade, said "her staff asked me to do it because she wanted someone who was not a stranger -- someone she would be comfortable around. The photos were taken in her room and in an outside area of the hospital."

Previously, Giffords' office had released a photo of just her hand, holding her husband's hand.

The Facebook post Sunday quickly filled with dozens of comments and "likes."

"She looks remarkably good!" said Facebook poster Jeffery Haas.

"You are so special," another fan, John Evanchik, wrote. "And you have so much courage and fortitude that I am so proud to say that you are a real role model for so many people who, in their circumstance, they probably give up, but not you, Congresswoman. Yes, God has blessed you."

Six people were killed and 13 others including Giffords were wounded when a gunman opened fire in front of a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Arizona on January 8.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is charged in the mass shooting. A federal judge ruled last month that he is not competent to stand trial, based on the results of court-ordered medical evaluations of Loughner.

The U.S. attorney general will take custody of Loughner for a period not to exceed four months, during which he will be taken to a hospital for further evaluation to determine if he will become competent to stand trial. Prosecutors said Loughner could be readied for competency through proper medication, and this practice has proved successful in other cases.

CNN

King Camera Is a Dark Room For Your iPhone Photos (Mashable)

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: King Camera

[More from Mashable: Organize An Offline Class With Skillshare]

Quick Pitch: King Camera is an iPhone app for enhancing photos with instant looks or custom photo effects.

Genius Idea: Giving iPhone photographers their own personal dark room.

[More from Mashable: Android App Indexes Your Life & Augments Your Memory [INVITES]]

Instagram has championed the instantness of the mobile photo-sharing movement with a selection of filters users can apply for fast iPhone photo styling. Camera+ traffics in a seemingly never-ending selection of photo effects. Now King Camera, an iPhone application released by Saycheezzz late last week, offers iPhone photographers the best of both worlds.

The $2.99 application [iTunes link], which will go on sale Wednesday for a launch sale price of $0.99, is meant to be a personal dark room for mobile photographers. It includes an array of features housed within its four primary modules: Camera, Photodesk, Quickmatik and Promatik.

The application user snaps or selects library photos with the Camera module. For each shot, the Camera module automatically adjusts the focus and tries to properly expose the photo, though users can manually adjust the focus and exposure settings.

In fact, King Camera users who wish to expand beyond the simple default point-and-shoot settings can choose from four different trigger modifiers, take time-lapse shots and enable the big button to tap anywhere on the screen to take a photo.

The Photodesk is where all Camera captures and altered shots are saved in photo stacks. Here users can tap to edit a photo in Quickmatik to apply one of 45 different prefabricated looks (like filters in other apps) or choose Promatik to make and apply their own effects.

"The app is for anyone who loves taking photos," says Saycheezzz co-founder Yanik Chauvin. "Beginners will enjoy the simplicity of the Quickmatik, and more advanced users with love making their own Looks in the Photoshop-like Promatik."

On a test run, I found the 45 available Quickmatik instant looks to be a tad disappointing in comparison to Instagram filters. Still, having the ability to scale each effect up or down with a slider is certainly a nice touch, and the selection of borders and cropping options are plentiful.

More impressive is the limitless creativity that the Promatik module allows. This iPhone photo editing dark room is a feature-rich module that is best suited for more advanced photo editors but still accessible to novices. Users can crop, rotate and adjust white balance and coloring in photos, as well add textures, vignettes and borders. They can also save a collection of applied effects as their own look.

King Camera has the obligatory photo-sharing options built in as well -- one-tap sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Dropbox and email is available for all photos saved to the Photodesk.

We've still barely scratched the surface in terms of King Camera's features; the application will not disappoint those with a penchant for both creativity and control in the photo editing process.

King Camera is the first photography application by Saycheezzz, a self-funded startup started by professional photographers Chauvin and Martin Perreault. Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

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Lawsuit filed over bin Laden death photos

"The American people have a right to know, by law" more about bin Laden's death at his Pakistan compound, Judicial Watch said.Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch sues Defense DepartmentLegal group has made Freedom of Information request for materialsIt wants video, photographs of raid that killed al Qaeda leaderObama has said government will not publicly release photos

Washington (CNN) -- A conservative legal watchdog group has filed the first lawsuit seeking public release of video and photographs of the U.S. military raid and aftermath that left al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden dead.

Judicial Watch is asking the Department of Defense to comply with a Freedom of Information request for the material, especially photos of the September 11 mastermind lying dead on the third floor of his Pakistan hideout. The legal complaint to force compliance was made in federal court in Washington on Friday.

The group says it is being "irreparably harmed" by the Obama administration's "unlawful withholding of requested records."

Judicial Watch made its initial request the day after the commando assault by Navy SEALs. A similar request for material was filed against the CIA.

President Barack Obama had announced that the U.S. government would not reveal any photographs of the May 2 military action and bin Laden's subsequent burial at sea. Some members of Congress have been allowed to privately view the materials this week.

Some al Qaeda-affiliated leaders, along with domestic and foreign websites and blogs, have questioned whether bin Laden was really killed and whether the details of his death released by the administration were accurate.

A May 9 letter from the Pentagon to Judicial Watch -- mentioned in the legal complaint -- stated, "At this time, we are unable to make a release determination on your request within the 20-day statutory time period" required by federal law. The legal group had the option of filing an administrative appeal directly with the Defense Department, rather than going for a lawsuit.

"The American people have a right to know, by law, basic information about the killing of Osama bin Laden," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. "Incredibly, the Obama administration told us that it has no plans to comply with the Freedom of Information law, so we must now go to court. President Obama's not wanting to 'spike the football' is not a lawful basis for withholding government documents. This historic lawsuit should remind the Obama administration that it is not above the law."

Obama had barred any public release of photos or video, telling CBS News, "It is important 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." He added, "We don't trot this stuff out as trophies. We don't need to spike the football."

Judicial Watch calls itself a "a conservative, nonpartisan educational foundation (promoting) transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law."

The case is Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Defense (1:11-cv-00890).

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Obama on bin Laden photos: 'We don't trot out this stuff as trophies'

President Obama told CBS's 60 Minutes today that he will not release gruesome photos of Osama bin Laden's corpse.

"We don't trot out this stuff as trophies," Obama told Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes. "We don't need to spike the football."

Obama also said he wanted 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," Obama said.

Some aides and members of Congress backed release of the photos to answer conspiracy theorists who claim bin Laden remains at large.

In his 60 Minutes interview, Obama cited photos, facial recognition technology, and DNA evidence as proof that a weekend raid in Pakistan was successful.

"There is no doubt that we killed Osama bin Laden," Obama said.

Other aides and lawmakers had objected to release of death photos of bin Laden because they could increase the threats to Americans overseas.

"The risks of release outweigh the benefits," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who chairs the House Intelligence Committee. "Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East."

CIA Director Leon Panetta, in media interviews and briefings to members of Congress, had indicated that the administration planned to release post-mortem pictures of bin Laden, though other White House officials stressed in recent days that a final decision had not been made.

Press secretary Jay Carney said Obama did not make a final decision until this morning.

It applies "all visual evidence," the spokesman added, including videos.

The administration also has video of bin Laden's burial at sea, shortly after the world's leading terrorist was shot to death by a Navy SEAL during the raid.

The photos in question are "gruesome," Carney said, one reasons some administration officials -- including Obama -- objected to their release.

The president and aides had also sought to gauge reaction to a photo release including in the Muslim world and whether jihadists may try to use the photos as a new rallying cry.

OBAMA: "When they landed we had very strong confirmation at that point that it was him. Photographs had been taken. Facial analysis indicated that in fact it was him. We hadn't yet done DNA testing, but at that point we were 95 percent sure."

Question: "Did you see the pictures?"

OBAMA: "Yes."

Question: "What was your reaction when you saw them?"

OBAMA: "It was him."

Question: "Why haven't you released them?"

OBAMA: "You know, we discussed this internally. Keep in mind that we are absolutely certain that this was him. We've done DNA sampling and testing. And so there is no doubt that we killed Osama bin Laden.

"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. You know, that's not who we are. You know, we don't trot out this stuff as trophies.

"You know, 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 Bob Gates and Hillary Clinton and my intelligence teams, and they all agree."

Question: "There are people in Pakistan, for example, who say, 'Look, this is all a lie. Obama, this is another American trick. Osama is not dead.'"

OBAMA: "You know, the truth is that we are monitoring worldwide reaction. There is no doubt that bin Laden is dead. Certainly, there is doubt -- no doubt among Al Qaeda members that he is dead.

And so we don't think that a photograph, in and of itself, is going to make any difference. There are going to be some folks who deny it. The fact of the matter is, you will not see bin Laden walking on this Earth again.

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Obama 'can't win' on bin Laden photos

Rick "Ozzie" Nelson says President Obama faced no-win decision on bin Laden photosTo avoid inflaming opinion in Muslim countries, he was right to to hold them back, Nelson saysHe says there were pros and cons to issue, but short-term security concerns won the dayNelson: People may continue to clamor for photos, and Obama may yet end up releasing themEditor's note: Rick "Ozzie" Nelson is the director of the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a research organization.

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama faced a no-win decision over whether to release photographs of Osama bin Laden's corpse. In the short term, the president was right not to make public the graphic images, because doing so might inflame public opinion in Muslim-majority countries and actually feed support for al Qaeda's agenda.

In the longer term, however, Obama may be forced to release the photos -- with time, conspiracy theories are likely to mount, and the photos may eventually be leaked anyway. And, of course, visual proof of bin Laden's death would serve as a powerful endpoint in this chapter of American history.

There were compelling arguments on both sides of this issue. Releasing the photos would have mitigated skepticism about bin Laden's death, hopefully snuffing out any nascent conspiracy theories about the late al Qaeda leader's fate. For a president who has already been forced to dignify inane and insulting charges about his origins, the chance to avoid another round of absurdity must have been tempting.

Releasing the photos also may have had the less obvious benefit of deterrence if the images had a visceral effect on other terrorists, militants and rogue leaders. It is entirely possible that seeing the photos could lead such individuals truly to understand that their murderous ways place their lives at risk.

Another view: William Bennett offers 4 reasons for releasing bin Laden photos

Finally, precedence also exists in these matters. Images of Saddam Hussein's brutal and inhumane sons, Qusay and Uday, were released during the Iraq war -- although the bodies were somewhat cleaned up -- as were photos of the terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

On the other hand, there were significant downsides to releasing the photos. For supporters of al Qaeda, images of a bloodied and disfigured bin Laden may have become a cause for additional terrorist attacks. The photos also may have angered Muslims who do not support al Qaeda, potentially making these individuals less inclined to support U.S. counterterrorism objectives.

The Obama administration's counterterrorism strategy relies on engaging the vast majority of Muslims who do not support extremist violence. Muslim anger at the U.S. would have weakened this strategy.

In the short term, the costs of releasing the photos outweighed the benefits precisely because doing so would have posed unacceptable national security risks to the U.S. Ultimately, the president's job is to keep Americans safe, and right now, this necessitates that the photos be kept under wraps.

In the coming months, though, mounting pressures are likely to test this position. Growing skepticism over bin Laden's fate could force the White House to spend valuable time defending the fact of the al Qaeda leader's death. Al Qaeda sympathizers may come to believe that bin Laden is not truly dead, thus bolstering their conviction in al Qaeda's cause.

One of the chief outcomes of bin Laden's death will be its psychological impact on both al Qaeda's opponents and supporters. Lingering doubts only serve to weaken the resolve of the former group and buoy that of the latter.

In the end, Obama made the right decision given short-term national security priorities. But we should not be surprised to see his decision come under increasing pressure in the next few months.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rick "Ozzie" Nelson.

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Obama decides not to release 'graphic' bin Laden photos

WASHINGTON — President Obama declared Wednesday that "you will not see bin Laden walking on this earth again" but said he would not release photos of the terrorist leader's corpse as proof that he is dead.

President Obama, speaking Wednesday at the White House, said of the photos, "We don't trot out this stuff as trophies."

"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, as a propaganda tool," Obama told CBS' 60 Minutes in an interview to be broadcast Sunday. "You know, that's not who we are. You know, we don't trot out this stuff as trophies."

Obama's decision put an end to two days of speculation about whether the White House would release photos of the dead al-Qaeda leader or other images from the compound where he was shot on Monday or his subsequent burial at sea.

Although CIA Director Leon Panetta on Tuesday told NBC Nightly News that he didn't think there was any question that "ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama "held this opinion very firmly."

The White House has said repeatedly that there is ample evidence that Osama bin Laden is dead: from photos, DNA sampling and facial recognition technology. "There are going to be some folks that deny it," said Obama, alluding to conspiracy theorists. But "there's no doubt that bin Laden is dead," he said. "So we don't think that a photograph in and of itself is going to make any difference."

Reaction to his decision was mostly positive. "If there was a serious doubt out there, if people were claiming he was still alive, that (would be) different," said former 9/11 Commission chairman Tom Kean, a Republican. "But it seems to me that everyone is in agreement that he's dead. So particularly if it's graphic, I don't see the necessity of it."

Carie Lemack, whose mother Judy Larocque died aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on 9/11, said, "There are people out there who are going to continue to demand proof, but I don't think that releasing the photos would give them the proof. I want to make sure nobody else dies because of this man."

Lemack plans to attend today's ceremony at Ground Zero in New York City, where Obama will lay a wreath at the site of the World Trade Center towers. Former president George W. Bush declined Obama's invitation to join him, citing a desire to stay out of the spotlight. Obama, who will not make public remarks, plans private meetings with relatives of 9/11 victims and first responders.

In Congress, the heads of the House and Senate intelligence committees also said they support keeping the images classified. "I don't think that the timing is such that something incendiary is the right thing to do." said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Senate committee. Said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., head of the House panel: "I don't want to make the job of our troops serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan any harder than it already is."The risks of release outweigh the benefits. Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East. ... Imagine how the American people would react if al-Qaeda killed one of our troops or military leaders, and put photos of the body on the Internet. Osama bin Laden is not a trophy ? he is dead and let's now focus on continuing the fight until al-Qaeda has been eliminated."

But opinion was not unanimous. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called Obama's decision "a mistake."

"The whole purpose of sending our soldiers into the compound, rather than an aerial bombardment, was to obtain indisputable proof of Bin Laden's death," Graham said. "I know bin Laden is dead. But the best way to protect and defend our interests overseas is to prove that fact to the rest of the world," he said.

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin also disapproved. She tweeted: "Show photo as warning to others seeking America's destruction. No pussy-footing around, no politicking, no drama; it's part of the mission."

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., had another idea: keep the images under seal for a period of time, maybe 10 years, and then make them available. "The free flow of information is not just a matter of good government, but a necessary part of our democracy," Nelson wrote in a letter to Obama.

Obama's decision to withhold the images came as the White House also stopped releasing details of the dramatic raid on bin Laden's compound. One day after officials corrected misstatements by counterterrorism czar John Brennan, who had said bin Laden had been armed and that his wife had been killed, Carney said no more details about the raid would be released because the methods used by the Navy SEALs in the operation are top-secret and that secrecy must be maintained for possible future raids.

"In terms of the operational details, we have gotten to the point where we cannot cross lines because of the necessity for preserving the methods and operational techniques and capabilities of the kinds of forces that were used in this case," he said. "We've gone to the limit of our ability to do that and still maintain some of the things we need to maintain and be kept secret."

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Obama on bin Laden photos: 'We don't trot out this stuff as trophies'

President Obama told CBS's 60 Minutes today that he will not release gruesome photos of Osama bin Laden's corpse.

"We don't trot out this stuff as trophies," Obama told Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes. "We don't need to spike the football."

Obama also said he wanted 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," Obama said.

Some aides and members of Congress backed release of the photos to answer conspiracy theorists who claim bin Laden remains at large.

In his 60 Minutes interview, Obama cited photos, facial recognition technology, and DNA evidence as proof that a weekend raid in Pakistan was successful.

"There is no doubt that we killed Osama bin Laden," Obama said.

Other aides and lawmakers had objected to release of death photos of bin Laden because they could increase the threats to Americans overseas.

"The risks of release outweigh the benefits," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who chairs the House Intelligence Committee. "Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East."

CIA Director Leon Panetta, in media interviews and briefings to members of Congress, had indicated that the administration planned to release post-mortem pictures of bin Laden, though other White House officials stressed in recent days that a final decision had not been made.

Press secretary Jay Carney said Obama did not make a final decision until this morning.

It applies "all visual evidence," the spokesman added, including videos.

The administration also has video of bin Laden's burial at sea, shortly after the world's leading terrorist was shot to death by a Navy SEAL during the raid.

The photos in question are "gruesome," Carney said, one reasons some administration officials -- including Obama -- objected to their release.

The president and aides had also sought to gauge reaction to a photo release including in the Muslim world and whether jihadists may try to use the photos as a new rallying cry.

OBAMA: "When they landed we had very strong confirmation at that point that it was him. Photographs had been taken. Facial analysis indicated that in fact it was him. We hadn't yet done DNA testing, but at that point we were 95 percent sure."

Question: "Did you see the pictures?"

OBAMA: "Yes."

Question: "What was your reaction when you saw them?"

OBAMA: "It was him."

Question: "Why haven't you released them?"

OBAMA: "You know, we discussed this internally. Keep in mind that we are absolutely certain that this was him. We've done DNA sampling and testing. And so there is no doubt that we killed Osama bin Laden.

"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. You know, that's not who we are. You know, we don't trot out this stuff as trophies.

"You know, 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 Bob Gates and Hillary Clinton and my intelligence teams, and they all agree."

Question: "There are people in Pakistan, for example, who say, 'Look, this is all a lie. Obama, this is another American trick. Osama is not dead.'"

OBAMA: "You know, the truth is that we are monitoring worldwide reaction. There is no doubt that bin Laden is dead. Certainly, there is doubt -- no doubt among Al Qaeda members that he is dead.

And so we don't think that a photograph, in and of itself, is going to make any difference. There are going to be some folks who deny it. The fact of the matter is, you will not see bin Laden walking on this Earth again.

USATODAY.com

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Bodies, wreckage photos published

NEW: Analysts say wrecked chopper likely was a stealth aircraftReuters published graphic photos of the compound WednesdayThe pictures include the bodies of three men and helicopter wreckageOther photos show the helicopter abandoned by the SEAL team

(CNN) -- Pictures taken shortly after the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden show three men lying dead in pools of blood and the wreckage of a U.S. helicopter abandoned during the assault.

One of the dead men bears a family resemblance to bin Laden, but there was no confirmation of his identity. The al Qaeda leader's adult son was among those killed in Monday's attack by U.S. commandos, according to American officials.

The pictures were published Wednesday by Reuters. The news agency says they were taken by a Pakistani security official about an hour after U.S. forces left bin Laden's compound and that it is confident of the authenticity of the purchased images.

Clad in a T-shirt, the man who resembles bin Laden lies in a large pool of blood that appears to spread from the back of his head. Two other men, dressed in Pakistani clothing, appear to have died from extensive head and chest wounds.

Sources have named the courier who lived at the compound as al Qaeda veteran Sheikh Abu Ahmad -- a Kuwaiti citizen of Pakistani descent.

Other photos, taken at dawn on Monday show the wreckage of the helicopter the U.S. Navy SEAL team had to leave behind after a crash-landing. Analysts believe it to be a stealth aircraft; the tail assembly is different from known helicopter types and could indicate some kind of previously unknown capability to avoid radar.

A senior U.S. official tells CNN that a tail portion of the helicopter was not destroyed, and that, to the best of his knowledge, that wreckage remains in the hands of the Pakistani government.

In particular, the tail features a cowling that might have been designed to reduce rotor noise levels, they said.

Pakistan has already said that the helicopters used in the raid took advantage of blind spots in radar coverage to penetrate deep into its territory undetected.

CNN's Chris Lawrence contributed to this report.

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