Son of Osama bin Laden deported from France, barred from returning

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.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he had signed an order banning Omar bin Laden from France, and that bin Laden had previously been deported. He gave no details about the timing of the deportation or where bin Laden had been sent.

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“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,

“The administrative ban ensures that Mr bin Laden cannot return to France for any reason whatsoever.”

Bin Laden could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to local weekly newspaper Le Publicateur Libre, bin Laden caught the attention of French authorities over a social media post on the birthday of his father, who was killed by US forces in 2011. Reuters was not immediately able to locate the social media post.

The paper reported in July 2023 that police had searched for Binladen in the village of Domfort, Normandy.