Omar bin Laden, son of the infamous Osama bin Laden, is set to be expelled from France following a government order, citing national security issues.
French authorities have instructed Omar bin Laden, a son of the deceased Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, to depart from the country due to his social media posts. This announcement was made by France’s interior minister on Tuesday.
Omar bin Laden, aged 43 and originally from Saudi Arabia where he spent his childhood years, has also resided in Sudan and Afghanistan. At the age of 19, he parted ways with his father and eventually made Normandy in northern France his home in 2016, where he began pursuing painting.
France’s new interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, shared on X (formerly Twitter) that Omar bin Laden resided in the Orne department of Normandy as the husband of a British national.
The minister stated that the jihadist’s son “shared comments on his social media in 2023 promoting terrorism.”
“As a consequence, the prefect of Orne issued an order to depart from French territory,” Retailleau stated.
“The decision made in the interests of national security has been confirmed as legal by the courts,” he added.
The interior minister also announced that he had authorized a ban prohibiting Omar bin Laden from returning to France under any circumstances.
He did not give additional details, leaving it uncertain whether Omar bin Laden had already departed from France.
Omar bin Laden’s marriage to British woman Jane Felix-Browne sparked significant media attention when it was confirmed in 2007, as she is a grandmother who had been divorced five times and is over twenty years older than him.
Following her marriage, she adopted the Muslim name Zaina Mohammed. Omar bin Laden attempted to reside in the UK, but his request was denied by British authorities.
Osama bin Laden, who was the son of an extremely wealthy Saudi construction magnate, is thought to have fathered around 24 children.
In 2011, US Special Forces killed the founder of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan.
Retailleau has promised to restore “order” regarding immigration and crime, emphasizing that “the rule of law is neither unchangeable nor sacred.”
His appointment as France’s chief law enforcement officer symbolizes the government’s rightward shift under new Prime Minister Michel Barnier, following this summer’s legislative elections which led to a hung parliament.
AFP.
