NEW : Defense official : ` ` We did not know whether these were human remains to begin with '' Defense officials debated how to dispose of more than 1,000 fragments of metal . That official asked that the powder and ashes be disposed of `` immediately '' and as `` normal waste . '' The material was from the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon . The material was ` ` not your normal understanding of medical procedures , '' a spokesman said .
NEW : Defense official : ` ` We did not know whether these were human remains to begin with '' Defense officials debated how to dispose of more than 1,000 fragments of metal . The material was from the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon . The material was ` ` not your normal understanding of medical procedures , '' a spokesman said .