DNA match confirmed on bin Laden body

The Associated Press has confirmed that DNA results done on the body of Osama bin Laden have confirmed the corpse of the man killed in the raid yesterday in Abbottabad, Pakistan is that of the Al Qaeda leader.

Bin Laden was killed along with two and a woman who was used as a shield by one of the unidentified combatants. DNA from bin Laden’s body was matched against that of his deceased sister in making the positive identification:

The officials said the DNA testing alone offered a “99.9 percent” certainty that bin Laden was shot dead in a daring U.S. military operation in Pakistan. Detailed photo analysis by the CIA, confirmation by other people at the raid site and matching physical features like bin Laden’s height all helped confirmed the identification.

Citing an unwillingness of any country to accept his remains, bin Laden’s body was buried at sea- a decision that some Muslim clerics have decried as an insult to Islam. It is unclear whether photographic evidence of bin Laden’s death will be released to global media.