... the dog who murdered the martyr Sheikh Osama bin Laden...Washington (ANTARA News) - The former US Navy SEAL who authored a soon-to-be-published book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden is now facing threats against his life in addition to possible criminal prosecution.
An official al Qaeda website on Friday posted a photograph and the name of the former Navy commando responsible for the book, calling him "the dog who murdered the martyr Sheikh Osama bin Laden."
The head of US Special Operations Command told current and former troops that the military would take legal action against anyone found to have exposed sensitive information that could cause harm to fellow forces.
"We will pursue every option available to hold members accountable, including criminal prosecution where appropriate," Admiral Bill McRaven wrote in an open, unclassified letter emailed to the active-duty special operations community, and obtained by Reuters on Friday.
"As current or former members of our special operations community, authors have a moral obligation, and a legal duty, to submit their works for pre-publication security review," the admiral wrote.
Fox News made public on Thursday what it said was the real name of the former SEAL who, with a journalist co-author, wrote "No Easy Day," using the pseudonym Mark Owen. The book is due to be released next month on the anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks on the United States.
By early on Friday, the man's name, photograph and age had been posted on the "the Al-Fidaa Islamic Network" online forum, one of two websites officially endorsed by al Qaeda, according to Evan Kohlmann, founder of the New York-based security firm Flashpoint Global Partners.
It was followed by comments that called for the man's death, including one response that said, "O' Allah, kill every one of them," and another that said, "O' Allah, make an example of him for the whole world and give him dark days ahead."
The Navy SEAL was also identified by other US media. Reuters has confirmed his name but is not publishing it, given concerns about his safety.
US military officials have said the former Navy SEAL could face investigation because he failed to clear the book with the Defense Department before publication, even if it does not disclose specific classified details.
(M016/B002)
Editor: Ade P Marboen
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