The French government on Tuesday ordered Omar bin Laden, the son of dead Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, to leave the country over posts on social media.
France’s Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, said on X, “I am today issuing an administrative ban on Mr. Omar Bin Laden, the eldest son of the international terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Mr. Bin Laden, who has lived in Orne for several years as the spouse of a British national, posted comments on his social networks in 2023 that were an apology for terrorism. As a result, the Prefect of Orne issued an OQTF and obtained Mr. Bin Laden’s departure. The courts have confirmed the regularity of this decision taken for national security.”
Je prononce ce jour une interdiction administrative du territoire à l’encontre de M. Omar Binladin, fils aîné du terroriste international Oussama Ben Laden. M. Binladin, installé dans l’Orne depuis plusieurs années en tant que conjoint de ressortissante britannique, a accueilli…
— Bruno Retailleau (@BrunoRetailleau) October 8, 2024
Omar Bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia and also lived in Sudan and Afghanistan.
The 43-year-old took up painting and settled in Normandy in northern France in 2016.
The minister asserted that Omar Bin Laden could never return to the country. “The administrative ban on the territory guarantees that Mr. Bin Laden will not be able to return to France for any reason whatsoever.”
The post did not reveal any other information about whether Omar Bin Laden had already left the country or what post the minister was referring to.
