Osama bin Laden burial documents to stay secret

A # judge has denied a #FOIA request for documents concerning the funeral service for Osama bin Laden.

In a seven-page decision made available Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon sided with the U.S. Navy in denying the full Freedom of Information Act request filed by Judicial Watch. The FOIA-filing group had requested "records and communications" relating to any funeral service held for bin Laden prior to his burial at sea on May 2, 2011.

The Navy provided certain e-mails, but redacted portions. Leon concluded the redactions were "proper and necessary to prevent disclosure of sensitive operational details and to protect our national security."

Citing the declaration by a high-ranking military officer, Leon reasoned that there was "reasonable reason to believe that disclosing the redacted information could harm our national security by inciting al-Qaida members to retaliate against United States citizens and interests."

This story was originally published September 20, 2013 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Osama bin Laden burial documents to stay secret."