While in jidda , saudi arabia , for a february speech , he met for more than three hours with saudi crown prince abdullah to discuss what is now known as the saudi plan to restart the peace process .
A city of west-central saudi arabia on the red sea . Ruled by the turks until 1916 , jidda has long been used as a port by moslem pilgrims making the journey to mecca . Population , 13 00000 .
Jamal khalifa , his best friend at the university in jidda and later also his brother-in-law , told me bin laden was driven not only by a desire to implement what he saw as god 's will but also by a fear of divine punishment if he failed to do so .
Khaled batarfi , a soccer-playing buddy of bin laden 's on the streets of jidda , saudi arabia , where they both grew up , remembers his solemn friend praying seven times a day ( two more than mandated by islamic convention ) and fasting twice a week in imitation of the prophet muhammad .
