Pop star Michael Jackson is in Bahrain on a private visit, his first trip abroad after being cleared of child sex abuse charges, a source close to the small Gulf kingdom's ruling family said.
The superstar arrived on Wednesday "to relax," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity.
"(Jackson) wants to be away from the US press and he chose Bahrain to rest after what he went through in the past few months," the source said, referring to his trial in the United States which ended with his acquittal on June 13.
Jackson is a friend of some "senior figures" in Bahrain and has come to "rest and relax as a guest," the source added.
A source close to Jackson's entourage said in Los Angeles earlier this week that he was planning a trip abroad after the end of his 19-month legal ordeal, but could not go anywhere as prosecutors had lost his passport.
Jackson's brother Jermaine, a frequent visitor to Bahrain, has plans to launch a peace song together with Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa, a son of Bahrain's King Hamad.
Abdullah, who wrote the lyrics, and Jermaine Jackson announced their plan in January, saying they were in touch with Western singers to discuss a collective performance of the song, titled "He's the one who makes the sky grey."