The burial at sea of Osama bin Laden after he was killed by Navy SEALs last year followed traditional Islamic procedures , according to newly released military e-mails , but less than a dozen `` leadership '' members aboard the Navy carrier where the service took place were informed of the burial . `` Any sailors watch the burial ? '' a Navy commander asked the public affairs officer on the USS Carl Vinson in a May 3 , 2011 , e-mail . The Carl Vinson was the carrier where the SEALs took bin Laden 's body by helicopter after he was killed during the May 2 , 2011 , raid at his compound in Pakistan . Panetta : Al Qaeda down but not out . `` Only a small group of the leadership was informed -- less than a dozen , '' the public affairs officer replied . Another e-mail stated , `` Burial No Sailors Watched . '' Ten heavily redacted e-mails were released by the Department of Defense in response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit initially filed by the watchdog group Judicial Watch . In communications between high-ranking officers , the e-mails describe Islamic burial procedures being carried out with no fanfare , apparently with few of the officers and enlisted personnel aboard the huge carrier aware of what was going on aboard their ship . Radical cleric released from UK jail . `` Traditional procedures for Islamic burial was followed , '' said one e-mail , adding , `` The deceased 's body was washed ( ablution ) then placed in a white sheet . The body was placed in a weighted bag . a military officer read prepared religious remarks , which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker . After the words were complete , the body was placed on a prepared flat board , tipped up , whereupon the deceased 's body slid into the sea . '' The e-mail detailing the burial account was sent on May 2 , 2011 , and addressed to former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen . Naval officers used code words in some of the e-mails exchanged shortly after the raid was completed , with an exchange between two admirals including , `` FEDEX delivered the package . Both trucks are safely enroute home base . '' Judge blocks release of bin Laden death photos . 2011 opinion : Sea burial was 'sad miscalculation '
Defense Department releases military e-mails with details on the burial at sea of bin Laden . Less than a dozen of the ship 's `` leadership '' were informed of the burial . Traditional procedures for Islamic burial were followed , according to the e-mails . The Navy did not inform Congress about this until after it was revealed in an article by Seymour Hersh in Rolling Stone magazine that day.