I taught judo to Osama Bin Laden, claims Taiwanese coach (and here are the pics to prove it)
By Daily Mail ReporterLast updated at 9:47 PM on 7th May 2011
A judo coach from Taiwan claims he taught the sport to Osama Bin Laden in Saudi Arabia in the early Eighties.
Jimmy Wu says he thought Bin Laden was too tall to be a success in judo and advised against taking it up.
But, Mr Wu claims, Bin Laden was insistent so Mr Wu accepted him into his judo class in Riyadh.
Me and my student: Taiwanese coach Jimmy Wu pictured with the man he says is Osama bin Laden during a judo session in Riyadh
Bin Laden attended judo classes two to three times a week, Mr Wu claims.
He said he never saw the future terror mastermind again after 1984.
Mr Wu added that Bin Laden stood out from the rest not just because of his height but because of his serious, conservative demeanour.
The evidence? Taiwanese coach Jimmy Wu poses with what he says is a photo of himself with bin Laden on the right and another member of the club
Bin Laden, who Wu knew then only as Osama, attended classes at the judo centre while still a university student, Mr Wu claims.
He said: 'I didn't know the name Bin Laden then.
Serious, conservative demeanour: Jimmy Wu, right, said bin Laden stood out not just because of his height but because of his serious manner
'I was surprised and I looked for some pictures and I said "oh this guy" and I started to have some memory of him.'
Mr Wu produced photographs of himself and a tall, thin, bearded, serious young man with a mop of black hair who he said was Osama.
Saudi feast: The Taiwanese coach, right, eats with members of his judo class in Riyadh. Wu claims the man who is third on the left in a red shirt is bin Laden
No smiling: In this photo from Mr Wu's collection bin Laden is seated at the end of the table, top centre, wearing a white shirt
He had been on America's most wanted list since his followers carried out the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001.
Pakistan officials said on Saturday that he may have lived in the country for seven years.
Mr Wu is now an Australian citizen and divides his time between Sydney, Taiwan and the Middle East.
He recalled one occasion when his wife came to find him at the judo centre.
One of the team: The man Jimmy Wu claims is Bin Laden is second on the left in the front row, next to Wu
He said: 'She came into the centre and most of the students weren't bothered, some smiled, but one really tall one came to me and said "who is that?"'
Mr Wu replied that it was his wife.
'The tall one said "this is the centre, no women should be in here".
'He did not approve. I have a particular memory of this. That was Osama.'
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