Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) admitted Wednesday that he saw fake photos of Osama bin Laden’s body after earlier in the day saying he had seen the reportedly gruesome images. 

{mosads}Brown, a freshman, told several Boston-area media outlets that he had seen the photos to make the case that they should not be released to the public.

“Listen, I’ve seen the picture,” Brown in a local television interview, according to The Boston Globe. “He’s definitely dead. And if there’s any conspiracy theories out there, you should put them to rest.”

Several faked photos of the al Qaeda leader behind the 9/11 attacks have been circulating around the Internet. Brown’s office told Boston media outlets what he and many others saw “is not authentic.”

Brown’s comments came before the President Obama said he would not release the photos, saying that it “is not who we are.”

But several politicians on both sides of the aisle had wanted the photos to be released, in part to clear up any misinformation or doubt the circumstances of bin Laden’s death.

Another lawmaker who said she saw photos, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), released a statement Wednesday that she cannot verify their authenticity.

This post was updated at 6:58 p.m.