MANAMA, 1 July 2005 — US pop star Michael Jackson and his two sons arrived here on Wednesday afternoon. It was the 46-year-old singer’s first trip abroad since he was cleared of 13 sex abuse charges by a California court on June 13. The superstar arrived here“to relax,” the source said, requesting anonymity.
Jackson arrived here ‘to relax’ and avoid US media pressure following the 14-week long trial. He is believed to be the guest of Sheikh Abdullah ibn Hamad Al Khalifa, son of the king and the governor of the Southern Governate.
Sheikh Abdullah is a close friend of Jermaine Jackson. Jermaine announced in January that he was working on a charity song for world peace written by Sheikh Abdullah with singers from the US including Michael Jackson.
“He was received by Sheikh Abdullah at the airport and he arrived with his two sons, their nanny and two bodyguards,” an official said.
The visit has been described as ‘very private’ after the star, who was last seen leaving the Santa Maria courtroom, flew from Los Angeles to Europe before arriving in Bahrain on a private jet. No official comment has been made yet on whether Jackson would make any public appearances or not.
The recent trial had been said to have financially drained the US pop star.
