Michael Jackson checks in at the Burj Al Arab

DUBAI — Michael Jackson was here yesterday for a lunch at the Burj Al Arab along with a Bahraini delegation. Security was tight at the Burj where he stayed in the Royal suite with a retinue of his own personal bodyguards at hand, and a ring of the local police securing the outer perimeter of the hotel. Media was denied access to the VIP guest and it was not known whether Jackson stayed the night at the hotel, or had left for destinations unknown sometime during the evening. The pop star has been reported to be in Bahrain ever since he arrived alone in the kingdom aboard a private jet earlier last month after being acquitted of child molestation charges in the US. It is believed that Jackson owns a property in the Kingdom. He was reported to have been 'staying with a Bahraini VIP', a member of the royal family of Bahrain, whose guest he was. And quite in keeping with his lifestyle in the US, the 'King of Pop' had been staying out of sight ever since arriving in Bahrain, which gave Jackson the 'privacy' that he craves for. More so after the high-profile child molestation case that threatened to send him to jail for a long spell. State-run television and radio in Bahrain had made no mention of Jackson's presence in the kingdom, and fans, even if they craved for a sight of the 'moon-walking' pop star, couldn't get a glimpse of him because there was just no way to know where exactly he was holed up. Source: Khaleej Times/eMJey