Osama bin Laden buried at sea

Less than 24 hours after he was killed in a firefight in Pakistan with US special forces, Osama bin Laden was buried at sea, according to American officials.

Earlier Monday, ABC News’ Jonathan Karl quoted an “informed source” on US intentions to bury bin Laden at sea “leaving no definitive location for the final resting place of his body,” he wrote in his report online.

US officials do not want Mr. bin Laden’s burial place to become a terrorist shrine.

Jake Tapper of the same network quoted a senior administrator official as saying: “We are ensuring it is handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition. It’s something we take seriously and therefore it’s being handled in an appropriate manner. ‬”

Islamic law mandates a body be washed and buried as soon as possible, usually by the next prayer, in a simple white sheet. However, how Muslims will react to bin Laden’s burial at sea is not known, as there seems to be no provision for burials at sea.

(Muna Khan of Al Arabiya can be reached at: [email protected])