Bin Laden 'proof of death requested'

A son of Osama Bin Laden reportedly asked the US for a death certificate for his father, according to the whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks.

A letter said to be from the US embassy in Saudi Arabia is among of a release of 60,000 Saudi government documents by Wikileaks.

Consul General Glen Keiser wrote to Abdullah Bin Laden in 2011 saying he could not provide a death certificate.

Wikileaks is releasing what it says are 500,000 Saudi foreign ministry papers.

The leak echoes the release of US State Department cables in 2010 that first gave Wikileaks prominence.

The embassy's reply is dated 9 September 2011, about four months after the Al-Qaeda leader was killed in a US raid in Pakistan.

In the letter, Keiser explains that no death certificate was ever issued.

"This is consistent with regular practice for individuals killed in the course of military operations," he wrote.

However, instead of a death certificate he provides US court records which prove that Bin Laden died.

The US also provides an Arabic translation as a "courtesy."

"I hope that these US government documents are of assistance to you and your family," Keiser concludes.

There is no explanation as to why Abdullah Bin Laden was seeking a death certificate for his father.

'Saudi Cables'

Wikileaks says it will publish over half a million more documents over the next month in what it is calling the "Saudi Cables". Most of the around 60,000 published so far are in Arabic.

It is not known how the documents were obtained, but in a press release announcing the leak the group refers to a hack of Saudi foreign ministry by the Yemeni Cyber Army in May 2015.

Other documents released reportedly discuss Iranian nuclear talks and the Egyptian revolution.

Wikileaks was founded by Julian Assange. The release of the "Saudi Cables" marks three years to the day that Assange sought refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after two women in Sweden accused him of rape and sexual assault.