U.S. Sen. Scott Brown — who said earlier today he saw a picture of Osama bin Laden taken after the Sept. 11 mastermind was killed — fell victim to a fake photo of the al-Qaeda leader’s death that made the rounds after U.S. forces shot him on Sunday.

“The photo that I saw and that a lot of other people saw is not authentic,” Brown said in a statement.

A staffer added that the Wrentham Republican obtained the photo from what he believed to be “a reliable source.” The staffer said Brown was briefed on the raid by Obama administration officials, but those officials did not show him any pictures.

Brown told NECN earlier today that he’s seen the photos and that he doesn’t believe they should be released.

The White House announced they would not be releasing the photos. In transcripts from “60 Minutes” sent to the Herald, President Obama said they debated the issue, but keeping the images under wraps won out.

(Source)