France unable to confirm report of bin Laden's death

The report about terrorist group al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's death "cannot be confirmed," the French Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

French regional newspaper L'Est Republicain quoted a secret French intelligence report as saying that Saudi Arabia's secret service confirmed that bin Laden died on Aug. 23 and said President Jacques Chirac had been informed of the news.

Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has ordered an investigation "to determine the source of this leak, which is a crime punishable by law," said the statement.

In Compiegne, north of Paris, Chirac also said the report "is in no way confirmed."

Chirac said he was "surprised" that the French newspaper had published an excerpt from a French secret service note relaying information from Saudi Arabia's intelligence service.

Al-Qaida was linked to several terrorist attacks, including the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, a 2000 suicide bomb attack on a U.S. warship off Yemen, the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, and the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

Source: Xinhua