The Navy SEAL credited with fatally shooting terrorist Osama bin Laden was reportedly arrested on two charges in Frisco, Texas, recently.
Authorities booked 47-year-old Robert J. O’Neill into jail on Wednesday and released him hours later on a $3,500 bond, the Dallas Morning News reported Friday.
According to law enforcement, “O’Neill faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of assault causing bodily injury and a Class C misdemeanor charge of public intoxication. Jail records list only the assault charge,” the newspaper said, noting the Tennessee resident was in the area Tuesday to record a podcast.
A few years after bin Laden’s death in 2011, O’Neill, a Montana native, said he was the one who fired the shots that killed the terrorist leader.
According to the News, he has received two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, and a Joint Service Commendation Medal.
During an interview in September, O’Neill recalled the moment he came face to face with bin Laden and recognized him:
“The way my brain worked was he’s taller than I thought, he’s a lot skinnier than I thought he would be, his beard’s got some grey in it. That’s his nose, that’s his face. He’s maneuvering, he’s not surrendering, he’s a threat, he’s a suicide, and I shot him,” he stated, adding he fired two shots into the terrorist’s face and once more seconds later.
In August 2020, Delta Air Lines banned O’Neill after he took off his mask during a flight, Breitbart News reported.
The airline later confirmed the action, stating that “part of every customer’s commitment prior to traveling on Delta is the requirement to acknowledge our updated travel policies, which includes wearing a mask,” noting failure to comply “can result in losing the ability to fly Delta in the future.”
However, O’Neill later explained in a social media post he had the mask in his lap the entire time, writing, “I had my mask in my lap. Everyone has gone crazy.”
Per the News article published on Friday, “In 2016, prosecutors in Montana dropped a DUI charge against O’Neill. Both sides stipulated that the charge stemmed from prescription medication he used to treat a condition connected to his military service, the Montana Standard reported.”