> OK it's not a drowning, but why was it thrown to the ocean?
Because they didn't want to create a site that could either be turned into a memorial (by sympathizers) or a target for vandalism (by people who hated him), or both.
In any case, if you're wondering whether or not bin Laden is dead, you can be pretty sure that he is. If he weren't, the best way for them to damage and discredit the US would be to post video proof-of-life. The fact that they haven't done that by now shows that they can't.
Cremation has no (or very little) precedent in Islam, along with a more contentious history. The USG found some rather obscure (IIRC) precedent for water burial in Islam, which allowed them to argue that they were performing proper burial rights to prevent backlash.
Because they didn't want to create a site that could either be turned into a memorial (by sympathizers) or a target for vandalism (by people who hated him), or both.
In any case, if you're wondering whether or not bin Laden is dead, you can be pretty sure that he is. If he weren't, the best way for them to damage and discredit the US would be to post video proof-of-life. The fact that they haven't done that by now shows that they can't.