U.S. President Barack Obama has decided Wednesday against releasing pictures of Osama bin Laden's corpse, expressing concern that it could pose a security risk and would be inconsistent with American values.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney speaks during a briefing in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, May 4, 2011. Carney said on Wednesday that President Barack Obama has decided not to release the photos of Osama bin Laden's corpse. [Zhang Jun/Xinhua]

"It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence, as a propaganda tool," Obama said in an interview with CBS to be broadcast at the weekend, according to USA Today.

"You know, that's not who we are. You know, we don't trot out this stuff as trophies." Obama said.

"The fact of the matter is, this was somebody who was deserving of the justice that he received. And I think Americans and people around the world are glad that he is gone … But we don't need to spike the football," Obama added.

Obama's decision put an end to speculation about whether the U.S. would release photos of bin Laden's corpse or his subsequent burial at sea.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that "the president has made the decision not to release any of the photographs of the deceased Osama bin Laden … There are going to be some folks who deny it. The fact of the matter is you won't see Osama bin Laden walking on this Earth again."

Carney said releasing the photos would bring about a national security risk by feeding resentment in the Arab world.

He added that the administration has "established beyond any doubt" through DNA tests and facial recognition that the slain man was indeed bin Laden, and a photograph of the dead body is not going to make any difference, Xinhua reported.

It's not clear what caused the president to make such a decision after CIA Director Leon Panetta indicated earlier that a photo might be released, but obviously there are voices opposing the release.

A new CNN poll showed that a majority of Americans support making the photos public.

Fifty-six percent of those polled said the government should release a photo of bin Laden's dead body, while 39 percent said it should not.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on May 1 that bin Laden, the founder and head of Al-Qaida, was killed by US forces at a compound in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, which is located close to the capital, Islamabad.

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