U.S. drops charges against Osama bin Laden

NEW YORK, June 17 (UPI) -- U.S. criminal charges against Osama bin Laden were formally dropped Friday, 13 years after he was first indicted and seven weeks after his death.

A judge signed an order based on a recommendation by the U.S. attorney's office in New York, ABC News reported.

The action officially closes the case against bin Laden.

The first indictment, handed up in 1998, charged bin Laden as head of al-Qaida with planning the bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Several superseding indictments added hundreds of individual charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lewin recommended Thursday the government drop the charges. He sent U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara a presentation that included proof of bin Laden's death, including al-Qaida's public acknowledgement of the death.