Fanatical about football

The Northern Alliance still has not tracked down Osama bin Laden, but one place they are unlikely to find him is at Highbury stadium in London.

Premiership giants Arsenal have barred Bin Laden from the ground after discovering that the terrorist leader is a big fan of the club.

"We've seen the reports in the papers. Clearly he wouldn't be welcome at Highbury in the future," said a club spokesman.

According to revelations in a new biography of the world's most wanted man, Bin Laden became fanatical about the team in the 1990s when he was staying in the capital.

Die-hard Arsenal fans in Highbury's famous Clock End could have possibly once sat next to the man who is blamed for the 11 September terrorist attacks.

Kitted out

Bin Laden was apparently on the terraces as the north London side reached the final of the European Cup Winners Cup.

They progressed with wins over Italian side Torino and French team Paris St Germain.

These were the first games that the well-known face of terror had seen since he had taken an interest in football during kickarounds while growing up in the Middle East.

In the new book Bin Laden: Behind The Mask Of Terror, author Adam Robinson even tells of how the terrorist had become so smitten with the team that he bought a replica shirt for his eldest son.

Whether Bin Laden has his own red and white strip remains unknown, but he certainly he will not be popping back to Highbury's club shop to buy one.