January 29, 2006	Sunday	Zilhaj 28, 1426

HAMBURG, Jan 28: Pop icon Michael Jackson arrived here for a surprise visit to Germany to see a friend he first met on a German television show in 1995, the Bild tabloid said on Saturday.

Amid intense media coverage, police cordoned off the home of his 23-year-old host, the paper said, to guarantee their safety as fans flocked to the Hamburg district to catch a glimpse of the singer.

Michael Jackson, 47, made the visit to the northern German port city on Thursday in the company of his son Michael Joseph, who publicly goes by the name “Prince”, and daughter Paris-Michael Katherine.

Two police officers were on guard outside the house whose curtains were pulled.— AFP