bin Laden raid: How it happened

US officials released more details overnight on the circumstances of the shooting of Islamic terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden and his later burial at sea in the north Arabian sea.

The Al Qaeda leader’s body was dropped overboard from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson within 24 hours of his death in accordance with Islamic traditions, the officials said.

US officials also released a DNA analysis to deflect criticism that no pictorial evidence has been made available so far of the attack on Bin Laden’s large fortified residence in Abbottabad, a Pakistan military town north of the capital, Islamabad.

The initial DNA analysis showed a "virtually 100%" match of the body against DNA of several bin Laden family members, an intelligence official said.

Bin Laden’s death capped a multi-year manhunt for the architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks that left nearly 3000 people dead.

ABOVE: Vice President Joe Biden, President Barak Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with others, watch the operation unfold (official Whitehouse photo).

Helicopter left behind
In other developments, spontaneous celebrations occurred outside the White House and at Ground Zero in New York City.

Details of the attack have also emerged since the dramatic announcement of the raid by President Obama late on Sunday night, US time.

The helicopter-borne Navy Seals strike team flew from Afghanistan across Pakistan air space and returned without detection. The special forces were in the compound for less than 40 minutes, during which Bin Laden was killed with a "head shot" during the firefight.

Three other men, including Bin Laden’s adult son, and a woman were also shot dead. During the raid, one of the US helicopters had to be destroyed because it was damaged during a hard landing in the compound and couldn't be flown out.

Compound identified in August
For many years, the CIA has been gathering leads on people in Bin Laden's inner circle, and came to focus on a courier, who turned out to be key to the operation, officials said.

About two years ago, US intelligence identified areas where the courier and his brother operated, and they eventually led to the compound in August.

It is roughly eight times larger than other homes in the neighbourhood and with security measures including more than 4m-high barbed-wire fences and access restricted by two security gates.

The property is valued at about $US1 million but has no telephone or internet service. It was built in 2005. US officials said they believed it was built in 2005 specifically to house Bin Laden and his family.