The Central Intelligence Agency has found seven more pictures of Osama Bin Laden's dead body that have not turned up in earlier searches, a Justice Department lawyer said on Friday.
In response to Freedom of Information Act requests for such images, the Justice Department had said that that there were only 52 pictures of the dead al-Qaida leader, Politico reports.
The photos were withheld, as the agency cited them as classified national security secrets and as operational files.
But Justice Department attorney Marcia Berman told Judicial Watch on Friday that the initial search missed the extra seven photos, Politico reports.
She did not explain how, why or specifically when they turned up.
“I am writing to let you know that the CIA recently located seven additional images of Osama Bin Laden's body from the May 1, 2011, operation that resulted in his death,” Berman wrote in a letter to Judicial Watch, according to Politico.
The letter also was filed with a federal appeals court.
“Had they been located previously, these records would have been responsive to your FOIA request,” the letter continued. “These additional images were not located during the CIA's search for responsive records in this case.”
The records also are considered classified, Berman said, and are being withheld for the same reason as the 52 other images, Politico reports.
The CIA declined to comment further to Politico on the matter, citing a policy of not commenting on matters in litigation.
Judicial Watch was among a number of organizations, including media companies, that sought all images of Bin Laden's corpse soon after the U.S. raid that killed him at his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in September 2011, Politico reports.
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