A WHITEFIELD woman has spoken of her surprise after learning that her close friend has married the son of the world's most wanted man Osama bin Laden.

National newspapers revealed yesterday that Jane Felix-Browne, aged 51, from Cheshire, had married 26-year-old Omar bin Laden at a Muslim ceremony in Cairo in April.

The bride's friend, who lives in an area of Whitefield close to Elms Playing Fields, declined to give her name.

But, speaking early today, she said she had been visited by Mrs Felix-Browne this morning just hours before she was due to fly to Egypt to see her new husband. She said she met Mrs Felix-Browne at a horse-riding stables more than 25 years ago and they have been close friends ever since.

Mrs Felix-Browne, who is fluent in Arabic and suffers from multiple sclerosis, has been married five times.

She is a former parish councillor for Moulton, near Northwich, and reportedly met Omar while on holiday in Egypt last June and quickly fell in love.

He is said to have told her the identity of his father - leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group - within three days of meeting her. She proposed to him while on a second holiday in Egypt.

While admitting she was shocked when first learning about the couple's plans to tie the knot, the friend said she had herself met Omar on a trip to Egypt, and was confident the pair were in love.

"He honestly seems like a genuinely nice guy who is very charming and obviously makes Jane happy," said the friend.

"It's a fair comment that it's not exactly the most conventional choice of husband, but they are happy and that is all that matters."

The friend added: "I wish them all the best. Jane knows that he hasn't seen his father for years and he has always been honest with her about everything else."

Speaking to a national newspaper, Mrs Felix-Browne said: "He is the most beautiful person I have ever met. I just married the man I met and fell in love with.

"I hope that people will take a step back and think what it was like when they fell in love."

She went on to say that Mrs Felix-Browne would not be taking the bin Laden name and was unconcerned by the fact that Omar already had a wife with whom he has one child.

Omar, who lives in Saudi Arabia, has reportedly told Mrs Felix-Browne that he has had no contact with his father since 2000 - a year before Al-Qaeda carried out the September 11 attacks in New York.

It is unclear where the couple plan to live, though Mrs Felix-Browne said she would apply for a visa that would allow Omar to visit the UK.