MANAMA, Bahrain – Michael Jackson (search) remained out of sight Friday during his post-trial vacation in this tiny Gulf kingdom, to the dismay of fans desperate for the King of Pop to greet the Bahraini public.
"What could be better than seeing Michael Jackson in real life? He's a living legend," Mohammed Ebrahim, 17, said as he shopped for music videos at a mall.
The teenager, who says he moonwalks everyday, learned of Jackson's arrival in the kingdom Wednesday night through a flurry of text messaging from friends.
The news spread even though state-run television and radio have made no mention of Jackson's presence on the island state. His location is unknown — part of a promise by Bahrain's royal family to give the eccentric star the seclusion he craves.
"He would love his privacy, and we will do our best to maintain the privacy he has," Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, a son of Bahrain's king, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Invited by Sheik Abdulla, a friend of Jackson's brother Jermaine, Jackson arrived in the kingdom alone seeking refuge after his sensational trial and June 13 acquittal of child molestation charges.
An official close to the Bahraini royal circle, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday "there is nothing on schedule" so far for Jackson to make any public appearances and that Jackson hadn't even toured the tiny Gulf kingdom.
About the size of Rhode Island, Bahrain (search), a 33-island archipelago, offers several royal retreats where Jackson could be hiding out. Some are seaside resorts reachable only by a boat. Others are heavily guarded residences in the hilly desert terrain.
Despite the secrecy, his fans refused to give up hope.
"This is an opportunity of a lifetime for all of us here, I hope Michael understands," said Ricardo al-Sadeq, 26. "If I see him I will tell him to keep moonwalking and give us some new albums. We are bored because we haven't heard from Michael in a while now." Michael Jackson remained out of sight Friday during his post-trial vacation in this tiny Gulf kingdom, to the dismay of fans desperate for the King of Pop to greet the Bahraini public.
"What could be better than seeing Michael Jackson in real life? He's a living legend," Mohammed Ebrahim, 17, said as he shopped for music videos at a mall.
The teenager, who says he moonwalks everyday, learned of Jackson's arrival in the kingdom Wednesday night through a flurry of text messaging from friends.
The news spread even though state-run television and radio have made no mention of Jackson's presence on the island state. His location is unknown — part of a promise by Bahrain's royal family to give the eccentric star the seclusion he craves.
"He would love his privacy, and we will do our best to maintain the privacy he has," Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa (search), a son of Bahrain's king, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Invited by Sheik Abdulla, a friend of Jackson's brother Jermaine, Jackson arrived in the kingdom alone seeking refuge after his sensational trial and June 13 acquittal of child molestation charges.
An official close to the Bahraini royal circle, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday "there is nothing on schedule" so far for Jackson to make any public appearances and that Jackson hadn't even toured the tiny Gulf kingdom.
About the size of Rhode Island, Bahrain, a 33-island archipelago, offers several royal retreats where Jackson could be hiding out. Some are seaside resorts reachable only by a boat. Others are heavily guarded residences in the hilly desert terrain.
Despite the secrecy, his fans refused to give up hope.
"This is an opportunity of a lifetime for all of us here, I hope Michael understands," said Ricardo al-Sadeq, 26. "If I see him I will tell him to keep moonwalking and give us some new albums. We are bored because we haven't heard from Michael in a while now."