PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE EMERGED of bodies lying in the compound in the aftermath of the US assault on Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan.

Reuters says it obtained the pictures of three dead men lying with fatal injuries. None of the three bear a resemblance to bin Laden. The photos were taken by a Pakistani security official and show no evidence of weapons. They were taken about an hour after the attack on the compound in Abbottabad.

Labelled as graphic and disturbing by Reuters, the photos show “two men dressed in Pakistani garb and one in a t-shirt, with blood streaming from their ears, noses and mouths”. They depict the scene outside the compound and Reuters says that details in the images match photos taken on Monday, and that they don’t appear to have been tampered with.

The White House said yesterday that while Osama bin Laden was not armed when he was killed, others in the compound were carrying weapons. Reuters notes that the pictures were taken at a medium close-up range and in many cases do not show the dead men’s hands and arms. USA Today reports that one of five of those killed during the raid was armed.

US President Barack Obama has said that photos of bin Laden’s body will not be released for fear of inflaming tensions.

Meanwhile The Telegraph reports that computer files seized at the Abbottabad compound reveal that al-Qaeda were planning a terror attack on trains in the US to mark the anniversary of 9/11. The US Department of Homeland Security says no specific locations were identified.

Read more from Reuters on the content of the photos>

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