President Barack Obama has decided against releasing photos taken by Navy SEALs after they raided bin Laden's compound in Pakistan and killed him.

President Barack Obama has decided against releasing photos taken by Navy SEALs after they raided bin Laden's compound in Pakistan and killed him.

Obama first spoke about his decision earlier today to CBS's Steve Kroft for an interview to be broadcast on "60 Minutes."

During a press conference today White House spokesman Jay Carney read some of Obama's statements to Kroft.

In the interview, Obama said he looked at the photographs and was satisfied they had bin Laden.

"It was him," he told Kroft.

Obama said he discussed whether to release the images with his national security team and decided to withhold them because they would needlessly create national security risks by inflaming those who still support bin Laden around the world.

"It's important to make sure that … photographs of someone shot in the head are not floating around to incite violence or be used as a propaganda tool," he told Kroft.

Obama reportedly told Kroft that bin Laden "was deserving of the justice" he received and that "Americans and people around the world are glad he is gone."

Obama's decision has the backing of Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, who said in a statement today that keeping the photo under wraps is a wise choice that will help keep U.S. troops just a bit safer.

"I don't want to make the job of our troops serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan any harder than it already is," Rogers said. "The risks of release outweigh the benefits. Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East."