The announcement that Osama bin Laden had been killed touched off an explos­ion of conspiracy theory. The summary execution and swiftly disposed-of body, the seeming lack of evidence, and the changing account of events over the days that followed, fuelled speculat­ion – not just within conspiracy forums but across social media and traditional news outlets – that the raid was a hoax: bin Laden was still alive, or he was already dead, or had never really existed at all.

Even if the White House story was essentially true, then it still prompted questions about the motiv­ation behind the the raid.