Michael Jackson shops in women's clothes

January 26, 2006

Pop star Michael Jackson was caught by photographers dressed in women's clothing in a shopping mall in the Gulf state of Bahrain. Jackson was dressed in a black abaya (a traditional full-length robe), a veil covering his face, dark sunglasses and gloves. Jackson was accompanied by three young, Western-looking children, their faces covered with black veils, and an adult woman wearing an abaya over jeans, her face partly covered, and bodyguards.

After Jackson was recognized, he reportedly said "Please, No!" and the unidentified woman asked photographers to back off. Photographers continued to take pictures while mall security guards escorted Jackson and his entourage out through a back door, where they got into a white Lexus with darkened windows. A picture published by The Australian shows an adult completely covered in black, holding the hand of a young child whose face is covered. Mall officials confirmed that it was Michael Jackson.

Jackson has been a guest of the royal family since June 2004, after he was acquitted of sexually molesting young cancer patients who visited his California ranch, Neverland, in 2003.