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- Robert O' Neill shot to notoriety in 2014 after he claimed to have killed the Al Qaeda leader.
- He now hosts a podcast as a conservative commentator, chiming in on the latest in the culture wars.
- O'Neill previously had a run-in with the law for a DUI charge that was later dropped.
The ex-Navy SEAL who said he shot Osama bin Laden was arrested on charges of assault in Frisco, Texas, jail records show.
Records from Collin County Courts indicate that Robert O'Neill was arrested Thursday and released the same day on a $3,500 bond.
The Dallas Morning News first reported his arrest.
A spokesperson for the Frisco Police Department told Insider in a statement that O'Neill faces a misdemeanor charge of assault causing bodily injury and a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication.
O'Neill gained public notoriety in 2014 after he claimed to have fired the shot that killed bin Laden, the notorious Al Qaeda leader.
One source disputed O'Neill's story to Reuters and said another team member entered the room bin Laden was in before O'Neill.
O'Neill went on to write an autobiography, "The Operator," charting his time as a Montana kid to his days as a SEAL.
In 2017, he provided an interview to Insider on how he performs under stress.
"One of the key phrases that I still use today is, 'Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.' You try to rush anything, stuff's not going to go the way you do it, slow down take a breath," he said.
O'Neill has more recently been the subject of controversy for his stances on mask mandates and drag performers.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, O'Neill claimed he was banned from Delta Air Lines because he refused to wear a mask during a flight.
This year, he raised outrage against the US Navy for appointing a sailor who also performs in drag to be a Navy Digital Ambassador.
O'Neill also hosts a podcast, The Operator, on which he discusses political affairs and chimes in on the latest culture wars.
In 2016, Montana prosecutors dropped a DUI charge against O'Neill. According to The Montana Standard, both sides agreed that the DUI charge stemmed from a medication prescribed to treat symptoms related to O'Neill's time in the military.
O'Neill did not respond to a request for comment sent during the weekend.