The French authorities have ordered Omar bin Laden, the son of late Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to leave the country over posts on social media.
France’s interior minister announced on Tuesday, Bruno Retailleau, announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Omar bin Laden had lived in the department of Orne in Normandy as a spouse of a British national.
The minister said that the jihadist’s son “posted comments on his social networks in 2023 that advocated terrorism.”
“As a result, the prefect of Orne issued an order to leave French territory.
“The courts have confirmed the legality of this decision taken in the interests of national security,” he added.
The minister also said he had signed off on a ban preventing Omar bin Laden “to return to France for any reason whatsoever.”
Retailleau did not provide further details and it was not clear if Omar had already left France at the time of filing this report.
43-year-old Omar was born in Saudi Arabia where he spent his early years, he has also lived in Sudan and Afghanistan.
LEADERSHIP gathered that Omar left his father at the age of 19 and eventually settled in Normandy in northern France in 2016, taking up painting.
Omar bin Laden’s marriage to a British woman Jane Felix-Browne, a grandmother who had been divorced five times previously and over two decades his senior, had caused considerable media interest when it was confirmed in 2007.
After marriage, Browne took on the Muslim name of Zaina Mohammed.
Omar had sought to live in the UK, but his bid was rejected by the British authorities.
Osama Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011.
Retailleau has vowed to bring “order” on immigration and crime, insisting that “the rule of law is neither intangible nor sacred.”
