Son of Osama bin Laden expelled from France after terror praise

Omar bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, has been barred from entering France, as announced on Tuesday by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. The decision was made following a social media post where the son of the Al-Qaeda leader expressed support for terrorism.

The son of the Al-Qaeda leader, 43-year-old Omar bin Laden, had resided in France since 2016. He lived in a village in the Normandy region, specifically in the Orne department, where he worked as a landscape painter. Omar's wife holds British citizenship.

On Tuesday, October 8, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau declared that Omar bin Laden has been barred from entering France, and furthermore, he has already been expelled from the country. Retailleau did not disclose details about the time or destination of bin Laden's deportation. However, it is confirmed that the 43-year-old "will not be able to return to France under any circumstances."

According to the local weekly "Le Publicateur Libre," as quoted by Reuters, Omar bin Laden came to the attention of French authorities in 2023 when, on his father's birthday, he posted a message on social media praising terrorism.

The AFP agency reported that Omar bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia and spent his early years in Sudan and Afghanistan. At the age of 19, he left his father, and since then, he has lived in various countries, including Arab states.

The man bears a strong resemblance to his father and, in one interview, claimed that he was more intelligent than his brothers, which is why Osama bin Laden considered him as a potential successor. According to Omar, he cut ties with the terrorist world because terrorists tested chemical weapons on his pets.

Osama bin Laden, responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, 2001, was killed by U.S. forces on May 1, 2011, in Abbottabad, Pakistan, near the nation's capital, Islamabad.