Son of Osama bin Laden deported from France over posts that ‘glorified terrorism’
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Mr Omar bin Laden, fourth son of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, with his British wife Zaina.
PHOTO: AFP
PARIS – A son of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden has been deported from France, where he lived for years painting landscapes in a Normandy village, and barred from returning after posting comments on social media deemed to have glorified terrorism.
Born in Saudi Arabia, where he spent his early years, Mr Omar bin Laden, 43, has also lived in Sudan and Afghanistan.
He left his father at the age of 19 and eventually settled in Normandy in northern France in 2016, taking up painting.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he signed an order banning Mr Omar bin Laden from France.
“Mr bin Laden, who has lived in the Orne region for several years as the spouse of a British national, posted comments on his social networks in 2023 that glorified terrorism,” Mr Retailleau said on social media platform X.
“As a result, the prefect of Orne issued an order to leave French territory,” Mr Retailleau said.
“The courts have confirmed the legality of this decision taken in the interests of national security.
“The administrative ban ensures that Mr bin Laden cannot return to France for any reason whatsoever,” he added.
He did not provide further details, and it was not clear if Mr bin Laden had already left France.
Controversial marriage
Mr bin Laden’s marriage to Ms Jane Felix-Browne, a British grandmother who had been divorced five times previously and is more than two decades his senior, caused considerable media interest when it was confirmed in 2007.
After marriage, she took on the Muslim name of Zaina Mohammed.
Mr bin Laden sought to live in Britain, but his bid was rejected by the British authorities.
Osama, himself the son of a hugely wealthy Saudi construction magnate, is believed to have had some two dozen children.
US special forces killed the Al-Qaeda founder in Pakistan in 2011.
Mr Retailleau has vowed to bring “order” on immigration and crime, insisting that “the rule of law is neither intangible nor sacred”.
His appointment as France’s top cop is emblematic of the rightward shift of the government under new Prime Minister Michel Barnier, following legislative elections in the summer that resulted in a hung Parliament. REUTERS
