Navy SEAL, Son of Mexican Immigrants, Helped Kill Osama Bin Laden, Report Says

Vehicles are parked inside the compound of a house where it is believed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden lived in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Monday, May 2, 2011. Bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of people, was slain in his hideout in Pakistan early Monday in a firefight with U.S. forces, ending a manhunt that spanned a frustrating decade. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) (AP2011)

One of the Navy SEALs who helped kill Osama Bin Laden is the son of Mexican immigrants, according to a published report.

The U.S. sailor, whose parents were born in Guanajuato, was part of the now-famed elite Navy SEAL squad, Team Six, who killed the world's most notorious terrorist, El Universal reported.

The Mexican paper reported that the sailor's father, Martín Mejía, received the news when a team of soldiers visited his California home some time after the successful operation. The proud father saw a dozen military officials carrying a crisply folded American flag – a gesture extended to families of fallen soldiers – and feared the worst.

"The soldiers brought us a United States flag, and when they saw that we started to cry, they clarified that it was a recognition, an honor, because our son had accomplished a great mission for the country," Mejía told the paper.

The Al Qaeda leader was killed by the elite team on Sunday in a compound in Pakistan, ending a nearly decade-long manhunt that began with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Mejía said he has spoken to his son, who told him that the team disabled a helicopter, suffered only minor injuries, and has already received personal praise from President Barack Obama.

Mejía's son also said he was one of the SEALs who saw Bin Laden's body before it was tossed in the sea, the paper reported.