JEDDAH, 6 December — Saudi businessman Hasan Anani has denied a German magazine report that he once had links with Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network. Anani plans to consult lawyers and sue the German magazine, Stern, for libel. The report was also circulated by the Associated Press.
Anani denied the magazine report that said he met a German businessman in order to learn how to get hold of chemical weapons. Stern said the German was interrogated by police in October 1993. The magazine reported that Anani asked the German how he could have access to some chemical weapons to be used by some of his Arab friends who are connected with Bin Laden.
According to Stern, the German met Anani later in London and Marbella, Spain and passed on to him some documents and information about a Russian missile.
Anani called all of these as false allegations possibly triggered by "the current Western hounding of Saudis." He added that he has business connections in Germany as the Anani group owns one of the largest software companies, SAP, in the Arab world. A spokesman of the German police said they were investigating the possibility of a link between Anani and Al-Qaeda and that the German businessman had already been interrogated. He did not give any details.
