Washington (CNN) -- Osama bin Laden was buried at sea from the deck of a U.S. aircraft carrier because there was "no land alternative," a senior Department of Defense official said Monday.
"When there is no land alternative, Islamic law dictates that the body be buried within 24 hours, and that was the basis," the official said.
Another defense official said says there was no country willing or able to accept the body for burial, and U.S. forces "took pains to observe Muslim law."
The religious rites were conducted on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea, with the ceremony starting at 1:10 a.m. and finishing at 2:10 a.m. ET.
"The body was washed and placed in a white sheet. A military official read prepared remarks, which were then translated into Arabic by a native speaker. The body of Osama bin Laden was placed on a flat board, which was then tipped up, and allowed to slide into the sea," the second official said.