Omar Bin Laden, son of the former leader of Al-Qaeda, is now persona non grata in France. At issue: a message paying tribute to his father considered to be an advocate of terrorism.
The Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau pronounced this Tuesday, October 8, 2024 an “administrative territorial ban” against Omar Bin Laden, son of the terrorist Osama bin Ladenformer leader of Al-Qaeda, on his X account.“Mr. Binladin, who has lived in Orne for several years as the spouse of a British national, received comments on his social networks in 2023 in support of terrorism (…) The administrative ban on the territory comes guarantee the impossibility for Mr. Binladin to return to France for any reason whatsoever,” declared the tenant of Place Beauvau.
This ban on residing in France for Omar Bin Laden comes in addition to a decision. Indeed, the prefect of Orne took an Obligation to leave French territory (OQTF), as recalled by Bruno Retailleau this Tuesday, by obtaining the departure of Osama Bin Laden’s fourth son. At 43, the latter had been based in Domfront-en-Poiraie (Orne) since 2016.
Last May, according to information fromNews Normandyhe had relayed remarks glorifying terrorism, on the day of the tenth anniversary of his father’s death on a now closed Twitter account, he has always denied having written this message.
The message is: “History is only written with the blood of these people – to tell the story of these martyrs who made history, built nations and brought glory. Their blood is the lifeline of our faith until the day of judgment, Rest in peace,” he wrote on Twitter.
Omar Bin Laden’s wife, Zania Bin Laden, reacted to this decision on BFMTV. “We are going to appeal, because it is very important to us. Omar did not write this tweet. He has never done anything wrong. He is a good person, he would never hurt anyone . He’s an artist, he sells his paintings and he lives a really peaceful life.” And added that it was “only a quote from Winston Churchill”.
From Al-Qaeda camps to the Normandy countryside
Omar Bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia in 1981 where he spent his early years. He followed his father into exile in Sudan from 1991 to 1996 then in Afghanistan, before being dragged into Al-Qaeda camps at the age of 14. In the early 2000s, he fled Afghanistan and the two became estranged, and the son ran a metal reselling company until 2006. The same year, he married Jane Felix-Browne. The couple settled in Jeddah before heading to the United Kingdom. In 2008, his visa renewal application for the United Kingdom was rejected, so he decided to settle in Qatar.
In an interview given to Point in 2021, Omar Bin Laden said he was in “total disagreement” with his father. He states in particular that September 11 had “ruined his life”. His time in the Al-Qaeda camps had a profound impact on him. He indicates in the columns of the newspaper a deep disagreement with his father, Osama Bin Laden: “It is you who I rejected, because I am not an aggressive person. I could never have done that. We can fight when there is nothing more to discuss, but you always have to discuss first,” he explains.
Having lived in Normandy for eight years, Omar Bin Laden accompanied his wife, a British national, to France. “He often travels from England to France. He said in our columns that he wanted to create a restaurant in Domfront-en-Poiraie” and “likes horses,” reports Actu Normandie. Osama bin Laden’s eldest son was also known since his arrival in France as a painter, a discipline that he sees as therapy.
Painter in Orne, “a calm guy”
He organized several exhibitions, and he sometimes spoke in the media, such as during a meeting with France 5. During the interview, he exhibited his works to the channel’s journalist, mentioning for example “the mountains” that he saw “while walking with his father”. “Here (in Normandy), I feel very free. I feel freed from the responsibility for my father’s actions (…) No one judges me, they respect me and they leave me in peace”, he declared to AFP in 2022. Those around him described him as “a calm, quiet guy (…) he is simply looking to integrate into a new commune and start a new life among us”, says Harry, one of his friends in a report produced by BFMTV in 2021.
During confinement, Omar Bin Laden indicated that he had taken up painting thanks to his wife on the microphone of France 3 Normandie: “We were at home, without doing much. My wife was painting and I told myself that I should try.” “A painting becomes a part of yourself,” he explained during an exhibition at Le Teuilleul in Manche, the same year to France 3.