Osama bin Laden dead and buried at sea - conspiracy theories and unanswered questions

The news that dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden is dead and was buried at sea has fueled conspiracy theories because the action of the U.S. forces gives rise to more questions than answering them.

The CIA, in a supposed targeted military operation, raided the secret lair of the world's most wanted man on May 1, late Sunday afternoon (EST) and after a 40 minute (or around) firefight bin Laden is declared dead, reportedly shot twice in the head. His son(s) and brother(s), a courier and a woman, reported to be bin Laden's human shield, also reportedly died in the shootout.

What happens next is more interesting - to adhere to Islamic customs and practice of burying a dead body within 24 hours, the U.S. troops hurriedly bring bin Laden's body on board a US aircraft carrier (USS Carl Vinson?), wash the body, wrap it in white sheets, offer Islamic religious rites, place the body in a weighted bag and ease it into the sea.

The sudden death and hurried burial of bin Laden's body are likely to make Americans believe in the Roswell incident than the believe in the official claim that bin Laden is truly dead and buried. And yes, it has given rise to several conspiracy theories as the action of the U.S. government raises more questions than answering them.

Conspiracy Theories

1. Some people claim bin Laden isn't actually dead nor captured and the whole thing is some sort of government hoax, possibly to bump up U.S. President Barack Obama's popularity ratings before 2012 elections. The order to kill bin Laden was made only because Obama realized his chances for reelection were slipping. Especially the reports of bin laden's death comes at a time when Obama is under heavy fire from Donald Trump's birther movement. This is the weirdest of the conspiracy theories (deather theory) because Obama will not get too much political mileage from bin Laden's death. If it was meant to be a well-crafted government hoax, Obama would have pulled off the stunt in 2012 and not 2011. By the time election draws near, people are going to focus more on unemployment and economic recovery and not on bin Laden.

2. Osama bin Laden is dead reportedly for several years, murdered by one of his own men. Deceased Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto in an interview had claimed so and possibly the U.S. government knew about it. The U.S. government did not tell anyone about it because it was waiting for the right time to make the announcement. This is a ridiculous theory too as there's no way George W. Bush would have declined to take credit for bin Laden's death. Why would Bush let Obama take the credit now for bin Laden's death?

3. Osama bin Laden is not dead but he has been captured and kept alive and captive in a secret military compound in the United States. Why? Because he is more useful to the U.S. government alive than dead. Moreover, the U.S. government has not yet released any official photograph of bin Laden's body. The government's version till now is that they have photographs and possible video clips to back their claims but as the photos are gruesome - with blood and brain visible (as bin Laden was shot in the forehead), Obama, out of respect and decency, does not want to release the photos. Well, there's a point here but the government's decision is making it all too easy for the voices of conspiracy theorists to grow louder. We need to see the death photos and burial photos, Obama, and we need to see them now.

4. The U.S. government said they knew that bin Laden lived in the mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan for several years and had waited till last weekend to make the strike. Is the U.S. government taking us for fools? If the government knew bin Laden was staying in the mansion, why did it wait for years to execute the raid? Was the government so confident that bin Laden would not move on to another hideout?

5. The U.S. government say bin Laden's body was buried at sea. Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia's biggest selling tabloid , has something to say about that: But where’s the proof? Let’s at least remember the most detailed video from the seizure of the overgrown and wild Saddam Hussein. Show us the video or at least a photograph of the main terrorist's corpse, fragments of the examination of his captured colleagues or family members. Maybe they won't say what's needed and that's why they don't show it? Instead of this, we only get Obama's bravado speech. And why was the main 'material evidence' disposed of so quickly? Bin Laden's corpse yestery was apparently thrown into the waters of the Arabian Sea, so that no one would look for it. And we're meant to believe this, taken on word?

Also antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan. I am sorry, but if you believe the newest death of OBL, you're stupid, Sheehan posted on her Facebook page. Just think to yourself — they paraded Saddam's dead sons around to prove they were dead — why do you suppose they hastily buried this version of OBL at sea?

Some other unanswered questions

1. bin Laden's eye-catching mansion was around 1000 yards away from what is Pakistan's version of West Point military academy. Did Pakistan intelligence really not know that bin Laden was living in their midst? If Pakistan knew of bin Laden's whereabouts, did Pakistan double-cross United States by not sharing the information even after receiving billions of dollars in aid?

2. Was the raid conducted by U.S> forces only or was it was U.S.-Pakistan coordinated raid? If former, was Pakistan dead asleep or is Pakistan knowingly harboring terrorist outfits?

3. A U.S. national security official said This was a kill operation. Why would the U.S. forces want a kill operation when bin Laden would be a million times more valuable if captured alive? And if indeed it was a kill operation, why did the U.S. forces give bin Laden a chance to surrender, an offer which bin Laden supposedly refused, as reported by different media?

4. U.S. officials say the firefight lasted about 40 minutes. According to Muslim practice, a body should be buried in 24 hours. In the case of Saddam Hussein, his sons' bodies were embalmed and not buried within 24 hours. According to John Brennan, counter-terrorism advisor, the burial of bin Laden's remains was done in strict conformance with Islamic precepts and practice. Why would U.S. forces act with such urgency and respect in burying the body of a person, who has killed over 2,500 Americans and snatched away the dreams of millions of others? Is it really true that the U.S. forces would simply bury the body of the world's most wanted man at sea?

5. Assuming that bin Laden's body was buried at sea, why did the U.S. forces act so hurriedly? They had 23 hours and 20 minutes to do away with his body - sufficient time for them to even transport the body to the United States, confirm the identity of the body properly and then dispose of the body.

6. Assuming bin Laden is dead and his body was indeed buried at sea, why can't the U.S. government release any official photo/video clip of bin Laden's body being buried at sea?

7. Assuming that U.S. forces had buried the body of bin Laden at sea, what did they do with the bodies of his son(s) and brother(s) and other terrorists who were killed in the raid? Were those bodies also buried at sea or laid in unmarked graves or brought to the United States?

8. If bin Laden is really dead, why isn't the Taliban or al Qaeda outfits coming out with an official statement about his demise? What people need to know is that Osama bin Laden is dead. There is no doubt about it…If he’s not dead, let him produce another video, said Florida Senator Marco Rubio on The Hugh Hewitt Show. Rubio has a point there but the issue is that the U.S. government has made the claim that bin Laden is dead and so the ONUS is on the U.S. government to prove that he is indeed dead. bin Laden never claimed he is dead. Why does he need to make the effort of producing a video that shows he is alive? To rebut the claim of the U.S. government? Nah! That's not how it works.

Indeed, reports of bin Laden being killed and his body being disposed off so suddenly and quickly when the U.S. could not even find his trace for nearly a decade are somewhat hard to digest.

Over the coming days, weeks and months the U.S. government may release more information about the hunt for and killing of Bin Laden, in the hope it will convince people that they are telling the truth. We are not saying that Obama is lying. But a photo of bin Laden dead and buried will help the nation move forward and experience closure on this horrific tragedy called 9/11. Meanwhile, circulating fake photos of bin Laden's battered face have only added fuel to the fire and will help grow the population of skeptics and conspiracy theorists.

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