The American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) was the scene of a short and quick burial at sea after a special detachment of US Navy SEALS found and shot Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in early May.
According to a senior US defence official in Washington DC, the burial followed traditional Muslim customs and was completed in the North Arabian Sea within 24 hours of the death. ‘The body was placed in a weighted bag and a military officer read prepared religious remarks, which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker,’ an official said.
‘Afterwards, bin Laden’s body was placed onto a flat board, which was then elevated upward on one side, and the body slid off into the sea’. According to the official, the deceased was buried at sea because no country would accept his remains within the frame allotted by Muslim traditions.
