Navy SEAL who published first-hand account of Osama bin Laden raid is under criminal investigation for disclosing classified material
- Matthew Bissonnette published No Easy Day unapproved in 2012
- He apologized at the time, agreed to dispute settlement, his lawyer said
- Now Defense Department is probing revelations made during speeches
The former Navy SEAL who wrote an inside account about the mission that killed Osama bin Laden is facing a criminal investigation for revealing classified information, reports claim.
Matthew Bissonnette controversially released No Easy Day in 2012 without approval from the Department of Defense, selling thousands of copies worldwide before it was even published.
Now, as he prepares to publish a sequel, his lawyer has revealed a vast proportion of the profits could be soaked up by extensive fines leveled by the Pentagon.
Scroll down for video
Probe: Former Navy SEAL Matthew Bissonnette, pictured in 2012, is being investigated by the Department of Defense as he prepares to release another tell-all book. The probe centers on speeches he has made
The latest probe centers on the speeches Bissonnette has made since publishing his tell-all book under the pseudonym Mark Owen, The New York Times revealed.
It comes after Bissonnette submitted a draft of his second book - No Hero: The Evolution Of A Navy SEAL - for approval from the Department of Defense, including slides and notes from his speeches.
He has already apologized for failing to seek approval for his revelations in No Easy Day, and allegedly agreed to forfeit a portion of his royalties in a dispute settlement.
However, another probe has been launched to investigate details disclosed at speeches across the U.S.
Last year, he spoke at a golf club in Atlanta where visitors were instructed to deposit their phones at the door and were barred from taking notes.
His lawyer Robert D Luskin insists the speeches were not controversial and says he expects the investigation to be resolved 'favorably'.
Bissonnette was disciplined in November 2012 for sharing classified information with the makers of the popular video game Medal of Honor: Warfighter.
According to senior Navy officials, Bissonnette recruited his fellow SEALs to spend two days as paid consultants for Electronic Arts.
Controversial: He was forced to apologize after publishing No Easy Day without Pentagon approval. The book, written under the pseudonym Mark Owen, was an inside account of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden
It was the investigation the military launched into Bissonnette's book that led the authorities to discover that he had allegedly 'recruited' the 11 Navy SEALS into the video game deal.
His second piece of work is a reaction to the Oscar-nominated film Zero Dark Thirty, which consulted former CIA director Leon E Panetta.
The narrative conflicted with many elements of Bissonnette's telling, and in his opinion it is the SEALs' story to tell.
The news comes as the SEAL Team 6 member called 'The Shooter' - who fired the kill shot at Bin Laden - prepares to reveal his identity.
He fiercely guarded in the aftermath of the May 2011 raid on Bin Laden's Abbottabad, Pakisatan compound, fearing the SEAL could be targeted by al-Qaeda as retribution.
But he has since retired and is apparently ready to take off his mask of anonymity to detail the events leading up to and during Operation Neptune's Spear.
Fears: Officials feared the account of the mission, which the White House watched live (pictured), could reveal key details of U.S. military strategy. Bissonnette was already disciplined for liaising with a video game on it
According to a Fox News press release, the two-part special The Man Who Killed Usama Bin Laden will air Tuesday November 11 and Wednesday November 12 from 10-11pm ET. The interview will be conducted by Washington Correspondent Peter Doocy.
'Revealing his identity and speaking out publicly for the first time, the Navy SEAL, also known as “The Shooter,” will share his story of training to be a member of America’s elite fighting force and explain his involvement in Operation Neptune Spear, the mission that killed Bin Laden,' the press release states.
'The documentary will provide an extensive, first-hand account of the mission, including the unexpected crash of one of the helicopters that night and why SEAL Team 6 feared for their lives. It will also touch upon what was taking place inside the terrorist compound while President Obama and his cabinet watched from the White House.'
It's unclear whether the Shooter's identity will be protected in anyway, or if he will both appear on the camera and reveal his real name.
Most watched News videos
- Shocking moment woman is abducted by man in Oregon
- CCTV shows yobs armed with catapults leaving Godstone church
- Moment escaped Household Cavalry horses rampage through London
- New AI-based Putin biopic shows the president soiling his nappy
- Vacay gone astray! Shocking moment cruise ship crashes into port
- Sir Jeffrey Donaldson arrives at court over sexual offence charges
- Rayner says to 'stop obsessing over my house' during PMQs
- Ammanford school 'stabbing': Police and ambulance on scene
- Columbia protester calls Jewish donor 'a f***ing Nazi'
- MMA fighter catches gator on Florida street with his bare hands
- Helicopters collide in Malaysia in shocking scenes killing ten
- Prison Break fail! Moment prisoners escape prison and are arrested
