BEIJING – Authorities in China's Muslim northwest have closed a restaurant named for terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden.
Bin Laden's Beef Noodles closed just days after opening this week in the city of Lanzhou, a local official said Saturday.
The city acted after residents complained about the name, said the state newspaper Workers' Daily. It said officials cited the restaurant's "unhealthy understanding of business culture."
The official of the Lanzhou commercial office, reached by telephone, couldn't confirm the reason for the closure. He gave his name only as Mr. Feng.
It isn't the first business in Lanzhou to pick a politically charged name.
Another restaurant that named itself Saddam's Beef Noodles after the Gulf War in honor of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is doing a thriving business, the Workers' Daily said.
China is home to some 18 million Muslims, mostly in the northwest. The communist government has endorsed the campaign to catch bin Laden.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox