Saudi relative of bin Laden killed
Source: Reuters
(Adds police official 5-6, previous DUBAI) ANTANANARIVO, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a brother-in-law of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a raid on his home in Madagascar, the victim's brother said on Wednesday. Malek Khalifa told Dubai-based Al Arabiya television that the aim of the killers appeared to have been to rob his brother, Jamal Khalifa, who mined and traded precious stones in Madagascar. Malek said a gang of 20 to 30 gunmen broke into his brother's bedroom, shot him dead "in cold blood" and stole his belongings. Arabiya said the businessman was staying at a precious stones mine he owns in Madagascar when he was killed early on Wednesday. "We still don't have a complete picture of the incident," Malek told Arabiya by telephone from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Jeddah. "I don't think it was politically motivated," he added in response to a question. A police official in Madagascar said the attack took place in Tulear, about 650 km (400 miles) southwest of the capital Antananarivo. He said there were 10 attackers who stole a computer and a briefcase in the assault at Jamal's house, named in the police report as Jamal Hamed. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, in what it said was the last interview given by the leader of the Abu Sayyaf group before his death, on Monday quoted Khaddafy Janjalani as saying that his group had received funds from two men close to bin Laden, identifying one of them as Jamal Khalifa. But CNN reported on Tuesday that Jamal called reports he had funded the Abu Sayyaf group in return for volunteers to fight in Afghanistan "completely false". "I have never given any money to any group or persons that include the Abu Sayyaf," CNN quoted Jamal as writing in an e-mail. Malek also denied his brother was involved in political activity, and said that apart from family ties, Jamal had no links to bin Laden, a Saudi national who was stripped of his citizenship long before the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Khalifa said the Saudi authorities had been informed of the killing. (Additional reporting by Sami Aboudi in Dubai and Jasleen Kaur Sethi in Antananarivo)
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