Bin Laden's body 'eased' into sea in surprise burial

WASHINGTON - He may have been US' enemy No 1, but after US forces killed him, Osama bin Laden was afforded Islamic religious rites by the US military as part of his surprise at-sea burial on Monday.

The US military said preparations for the al-Qaida leader's burial lasted nearly an hour.

His body was washed before being covered in a white sheet, and religious remarks translated into Arabic by a native speaker were read over bin Laden's corpse.