Former U.S. Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill is being investigated for leaking government secrets after he publicly identified himself as the man who fatally shot Osama bin Laden, according to a report.
O'Neill may have revealed classified information last month when he appeared on Fox News Channel and gave an interview to the Washington Post to discuss his involvement in the raid on bin Laden's compound on May 1, 2011 in Abbottabad, Pakistan, sources told the Daily Beast on Tuesday.
"The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is in receipt of an allegation that Mr. O'Neill may have revealed classified information to persons not authorized to receive such information," said NCIS Public Affairs Officer Ed Buice in a statement to ABC News. "In response, NCIS has initiated an investigation to determine the merit of the allegations."
Earlier this year, U.S. special operations leaders and serving Navy SEALs were left scrambling to contain the damage created by the 38-year-old's admission, with most of them displaying scorn against the former member of SEAL Team 6 for making such a controversial move.
In November, O'Neill told the Daily News that he was inspired to come forward after meeting the families of 9/11 victims.
However, there were some rebuttals that another member of the elite SEAL Team 6 was responsible for delivering the final shots that killed bin Laden's reign of terror, with many criticizing O'Neill for taking sole credit.
O'Neill's disclosure came nearly two years after Matt Bissonnette, another former SEAL Team 6 member, published details about the group's experiences in his memoir, "No Easy Day," written under the pseudonym Mark Owen. Bissonnette is also under investigation by the Defense Department for discussing details of the raid.
For now, it remains unclear how long the investigation has been underway and who allegedly received the recipients of the classified information O'Neill may have provided about the raid.
