To mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, the CIA Monday "live tweeted" the special forces raid on the al-Qaeda leader's compound in Pakistan in a move that was slammed on social media as "inappropriate" and "distasteful".
Bin Laden, a key leader of al-Qaida, had been identified as the al-Qeada leader behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. and was finally tracked down in May 2011 when U.S. military raided a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and killed Bin Laden. His body was buried at sea.
"Death of Usama Bin Ladin marked significant victory in US-led campaign to disrupt, dismantle, & defeat al-Qa`ida. #UBLRaid," the CIA wrote on Twitter before commencing a to-the-minute live-tweeting session of the mission.
Here are a few examples:
Unsurprisingly the internet didn't react well with many denouncing the stunt as poor taste.
Others wondered when it would live-tweet other historic events.
And some questioned the agency's public relations strategy.
A CIA spokesperson defended the live-tweeting.
"The takedown of bin Laden stands as one of the great intelligence successes of all time. History has been a key element of CIA's social media efforts," CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani told ABC News.
"On the fifth anniversary, it is appropriate to remember the day and honor all those who had a hand in this achievement."
He added that the CIA has done a similar exercise to mark other events, including the Glomar operation, Argo, U-2 shootdown, and the evacuation of Saigon.