RIYADH, July 13 (Reuters) - Sheikh Abdullah ibn Jebreen, a prominent Saudi cleric who praised Osama bin Laden and preached violence against Muslim Shi'ites, Christians and Jews, died on Monday aged 77, his official website said.
"Our Sheikh, Imam and father Abdullah ibn Jebreen has passed to God's mercy," said the website (www.ibn-jebreen.com).
Ibn Jebreen was considered the second-most influential cleric in the conservative kingdom after Sheikh Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak.
The kingdom observes Wahhabism, an ascetic school of Islam that bans women from driving or mingling with unrelated men.
Ibn Jebreen shot to international fame when he praised Osama bin Laden in 2003 calling him a "warrior in the path of God" and wished him victory.
U.S. and European counterterrorism experts have never been able to prove ibn Jebreen's suspected links to any particular extremist group, Western diplomats said.
Citing government and medical sources, the New York Times reported last month ibn Jebreen received police protection whilst at a hospital in Germany before his departure in June "because the cleric's diatribes are considered a crime in this country, where hate speech is illegal".
Some German lawmakers asked why he was issued with a visit visa, it reported at the time. (Reporting by Souhail Karam; Editing by Sophie Hares)