CIA ‘live-tweets’ Osama raid as if it had happened today

PENTAGONE: The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been criticized for live tweeting the killing of Osama Bin Laden as if it were happening today.

It has shared details of the mission that led to America s most wanted man being found five years ago in Pakistan.

But reaction has been largely negative with one Twitter user calling the move grotesque and embarrassing. Others posted memes and gifs of people rolling their eyes and putting their heads in their hands.

The CIA s usual tweets mostly concern historical trivia and artifacts.

The CIA s first live tweet hashtagged UBLRaid begins 1 25 pm EDT  POTUS DCIA Panetta & JSOC commander Admiral McRaven approve execution of op in Abbottabad.

At 1 15pm Helicopters depart from Afghanistan for compound in Abbottabad Pakistan. Just under 90 minutes later 2 helicopters descend on compound in Abbottabad Pakistan. 1 crashes but assault continues without delay or injury.

Osama Bin Laden is found on third floor and killed at 3 39pm.

The last tweet at 7 01pm reads POTUS [President Obama] receives confirmation of high probability of positive identification of Usama Bin Ladin .

The leader of al Qaeda who was thought to have ordered the 9 11 attacks on New York and Washington was shot dead at a compound in Abbottabad in May 2011 after evading capture by the US and its allies for nearly a decade.

Speaking on the fifth anniversary of his death CIA director John Brennan said the United States had destroyed a large part of al Qaeda but it s not completely eliminated so we have to stay focused on what it can do.

He said removing Bin Laden had a great symbolic and strategic effect on al Qaeda and it was important.