Scott Brown Fooled by Fake Photo of bin Laden

The advice bears repeating: Beware links promising photos of a dead Osama bin Laden. And now we can add: Especially, if you're a US senator. Scott Brown admitted he got fooled today, reports the Boston Globe. In an interview with a Boston TV station earlier in the day, he asserted: “Let me assure you that he is dead, that bin Laden is dead. I have seen the photos.” Later, he issued this statement: "The photo that I saw and that a lot of other people saw is not authentic." Brown provided no details on where he saw the image.

At least two other senators reported seeing photos, notes Politico. "It appeared to be an accurate photo—it was not the official photo," said Saxby Chambliss, adding he didn't know whether it was legit. Kelly Ayotte also released a statement saying she didn't know whether the image she saw, which was passed along by another senator, was authentic, notes the Hill. Click to read President Obama's explanation of why he won't release bin Laden's photo. Reuters has released graphic images of the raid, though not of the al-Qaeda leader. (More Osama bin Laden stories.)