U.S. officials now say Osama bin Laden was not killed in a firefight, and was not armed when he died. UPI

In the original account of the firefight, John Brennan, a U.S. counter-terrorism official briefing the media, said, "There was family at that compound, and there was a female who was, in fact, in the line of fire that reportedly was used as a shield to shield Osama from the incoming fire". Telegraph

However, during a background, off-camera briefing for television reporters later Monday, a senior White House official said bin Laden was not armed when he was killed, apparently by the U.S. raid team. Politico

Another White House official familiar with the TV briefing confirmed the change to Politico, adding, "I'm not aware of him having a weapon." Politico

"The bottom line is the team that entered that room was met with resistance and took appropriate action," said a third American official. Politico

The discrepancy between earlier accounts and the new version of events was put down to "confusion" by the White House, who said that the "fact pattern" on the assault was only now becoming clear as more of the participants were interviewed. Telegraph

The contradictions came despite the fact that other reports suggesting that President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state and other senior officials had watched the assault on a live feed provided by a camera mounted on the commando's helmets. Telegraph

American officials said last night they were '99.9 per cent confident' that DNA evidence proved Osama bin Laden is dead. Daily Mail

Scientists compared forensic samples from the body in the Pakistan hideout with those taken from the brain of the terror mastermind's late sister. Daily Mail

As more details of the death of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden surfaced Monday, some individuals suggested that the killing of the al-Qaeda leader by U.S. special forces may have violated international law. Politico