O.C. Man Sues Over Alleged Icon Deal

SANTA ANA — An Orange County man has sued a member of Bahrain’s ruling family for allegedly duping him into trying to sell the “sword of Mohammed,” an important icon in the Islamic religion, and then denying any deal had been made after the salesman received death threats.

Najib Khoury seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Mohamed bin Salman Al Khalifa for emotional stress “as a result of the death threats, endangering his life, and that of his family,” according to the lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court.

The threats warning Khoury that he would be killed if he sold the sword, also known as the Al Ajrab sword, were made after he solicited bids on the icon from such luminaries as Donald Trump, the Sultan of Brunei and others, according to the suit.

Neither Khoury, his attorneys nor a spokesman for the Bahrain Embassy in Washington could be reached for comment.

The prophet Mohammed, whose name means “praised one,” is a central figure in the history of the Islam faith. Viewed as the last messenger of God, he was a force for religious unity and justice in 7th century Arabia. The sword was said to possess the ability to draw people toward the Arabian faith.

Khoury contends he met with Al Khalifa in his Bahrain palace in August 1995. Al Khalifa, who kept the sword in his private office there, showed it to Khoury and said he had inherited it, the suit said. Al Khalifa showed Khoury a copy of the private publication “Al Watheekah,” which Al Khalifa said officially noted him as the rightful owner of the sword, the suit said.

Al Khalifa then said he was interested in secretly selling the sword, and Khoury agreed to market the artifact, valued at $250 million, for a 2% commission, or $250,000, according to the suit.

As documentation that he was authorized to market the sword, Al Khalifa gave Khoury copies of his diplomatic passport, according to the suit.

But, the suit says, Al Khalifa left out precious details.

“Al Khalifa concealed from Khoury that the Al Ajrab sword was and is a most sacred icon in the Moslem world, and as a result, this sword could not be sold legally or ethically by him,” the suit said. “Al Khalifa also hid from Khoury that Khoury’s life would be in danger in the event that Moslems, especially the Shiites, found out that Khoury was attempting to sell the sword, because the Moslems, especially the Shiites, consider the sword to be the property of the Moslem world, not the property of Al Khalifa, and Al Khalifa knew this.”

Al Khalifa concealed this knowledge because “he knew what he was doing was morally, ethically and legally illegitimate, and his own position of power would be endangered if the Moslem world found out he was trying to sell this symbol of the Moslem faith and liquidate his assets in Bahrain,” according to the suit.

Therefore, the suit says, Al Khalifa told Khoury to market the suit only outside the Middle East, suggesting the Far East might be a good place.

When he began receiving death threats, Khoury consulted an unnamed Muslim religious figure, who informed him of its significance. Khoury confronted Al Khalifa in November, but Al Khalifa denied there was any deal.

Also contributing to this report was Times staff writer Geoff Boucher.