Former US Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill, whose claim to have taken down Osama bin Laden in 2011 brought him widespread recognition, found himself in legal trouble this week in Texas. He was apprehended for alleged assault, as reported by The New York Post. The incident occurred in Frisco, where O'Neill was taken into custody on Wednesday. However, he was released later the same day after posting a $3,500 bond.
The source of this report is The Dallas Morning News, which caters to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. While O'Neill is facing charges of Class A misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury and Class C misdemeanor public intoxication, it's important to note that the available jail records only indicate the assault charge, The New York Post clarified.
O'Neill first captured the public's attention by publicly asserting his pivotal role in the operation that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the notorious September 11 attacks in 2001. The operation took place through a covert mission carried out by US forces in Pakistan in 2011. O'Neill's detailed account of the events was presented in his memoir titled "The Operator," published in 2017. Despite his claims, the United States government has remained officially silent, neither confirming nor contradicting O'Neill's narrative, The New York Post stated.
The former member of SEAL Team 6, who boasts an impressive record of two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, and a Joint Service Commendation Medal, chronicled his military journey in a memoir titled "The Operator."
This recent legal issue is not the first time O'Neill has found himself mired in controversy. In 2016, he faced legal charges after being arrested for driving under the influence in Montana. However, these charges were eventually dropped by prosecutors, CBS News reported.
Creating waves in 2020, he caught media attention when Delta Air Lines took action to ban him. This response followed an incident in which he purportedly removed his face mask during a flight. The incident occurred during a period when passengers were mandated to wear masks to curb the transmission of COVID-19.
