Virginia Beach, Va. - Extra police officers patrolled Regent University on Monday as hundreds of people packed inside the Founders Inn.
Before his identity leaked last week, former Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill was just another featured speaker at the event.
But now the former Virginia Beach-based SEAL Team 6 member is causing controversy after claiming that he is the one who shot Osama bin Laden. That sparked extra interest in his speech, and extra security.
That has some military officials angry, saying no one should use their experience overseas for personal or financial gain.
Others believe it now puts O’Neill and possibly many others in danger of an ISIS attack.
O’Neill has been a motivational speaker for a while but this is his first time back in Virginia Beach. He has been popular on the lecture circuit telling stories about how, as a Montana teen he joined the SEALs, and not long after found himself in life-or-death gunfights across the globe.
O'Neill did not allow news cameras inside, and organizers asked all in attendance to turn off their cell phone cameras. O'Neill has an agreement with FOX network to tell his story on Tuesday night. On Monday, he said almost nothing about bin Laden except, "that was a good thing we did."
Then, O'Neill stuck to the same script he has used across the country, stories of SEAL service and the leadership lessons he's derived from them.
If anyone today was disappointed they didn't hear bin Laden, they didn't show it. As he finished his speech and was whisked away, they left him with a standing ovation.
Shooter: ‘It doesn’t matter anymore if I killed bin Laden’
SEAL who shot bin Laden to speak at Regent
