REPORT: Esquire's Osama Bin Laden 'Shooter' Didn't Really Pull The Trigger

AFP

The guy who says he shot Osama Bin Laden may be more known in the community for shooting off at the mouth.

Last month Esquire published an in-depth look at the miserable life of the the supposed hero identified as "Shooter." Immediately, special operators seemed to reel at the idea of one of their own talking so openly.

Well, now the guys at SOFREP, a website run by and for the military's special operators, have talked to various sources at the Navy's Special Warfare Development Group — DEVGRU, or SEAL Team 6. In doing so, they gathered a very different account of "Shooter" and the circumstances surrounding his exodus from the Navy.

Here's SOFREP's version of the story:

— "Shooter" wasn't actually the guy who shot Bin Laden, but to be clear, he was there on the third floor of the Bin Laden compound.

— The real shooter is still at DEVGRU, working as a Navy SEAL.

— SEAL Team 6 kicked the faux "shooter" out for talking too openly about the operation, but only after warning him several times to "can it."

— Despite getting the boot from 6, his colleagues encouraged him to remain in the Navy in order to earn his retirement, which he refused to do (which is why he currently finds himself without much income).

Of course, this is a little bit of SOFREP's word against that of Esquire, but in terms of clout in the special operations world, SOFREP's word is a bit more weighty.

It's no mistake either that Brandon Webb, Executive Media Director of SOFREP, wrote the story. Webb is a mini-legend himself in the special operations community, and his access to operators is unprecedented and uncontested.