London: Saudi Arabian King Abdullah today met Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at the start of his two-day state visit marked by widespread protest by Human rights and anti-arms trade activists.

The meeting came a day after the visiting King observed in a television interview that Britain had failed to act on information passed on to it by Saudi Arabia which could have prevented the 2005 London suicide bombings that killed 52 people.

The government quickly issued a statement that information received from the Saudis at the time was not specific. King Abdullah is scheduled to hold talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown tomorrow. This is the first visit by a Saudi ruler to the UK in more than 20 years.

Earlier in the day as the Saudi royal procession passed along the Mall in Central London, about 100 human rights and anti-arms activists jeered and shouted "shame on you".

But the protesters banners were dwarfed by giant Union flags and Saudi national flags which lined the street, while the protesters themselves were outnumbered by both police and hundreds of onlookers.

London mayor Ken Livingstone today condemned the Saudi royal family and accused them of supporting groups fuelling international terrorism.

He said the Saudis were the "principal" funders for the extremist Wahhabi sect, whose followers include Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 bombers.

Source : PTI