Laden's body to be buried at sea: US officials

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's body will be buried at sea, as the United States does not want his burial place to become a terrorist shrine, officials have said.

The Saudi-born terrorist, who had evaded capture for a decade, was killed in a top secret operation involving a small team of US Special Forces in Abbottabad city, located 50 kilometres northeast of Islamabad and 150 kilometres east of Peshawar, Pakistan

"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," ABC News quoted a senior Obama administration official, as saying.

Under Islamic tradition, the body would be washed by Muslim men and buried as soon as possible.

The body is usually buried in a simple white sheet -whether buried in the ground, or at sea.

Laden, accused of being behind a number of atrocities, including the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, was at the top of the US "most wanted" list.

He had approved the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington in which nearly 3,000 people were killed, saying later that the results had exceeded his expectations.

His death will be seen as a major blow to Al-Qaeda, but will also raise fears of reprisal attacks.