France Orders Omar bin Laden to Leave Over Social Media Posts

French authorities have ordered Omar bin Laden, the son of slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, to leave the country due to his social media posts that advocated terrorism. The announcement was made by France’s interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, on Tuesday.

Omar bin Laden, 43, was born in Saudi Arabia and spent his early years there. He has also lived in Sudan and Afghanistan before settling in Normandy, northern France in 2016, where he took up painting. The minister stated that the jihadist’s son had been living in the department of Orne in Normandy as a spouse of a British national.

Retailleau explained that Omar bin Laden’s social media posts in 2023 promoted terrorism, leading to an order from the prefect of Orne to leave French territory. The courts have confirmed the legality of this decision, taken in the interests of national security. The interior minister also signed off on a ban preventing Omar bin Laden from returning to France for any reason whatsoever.

Omar bin Laden’s marriage to British woman Jane Felix-Browne, a grandmother who had been divorced five times previously and over two decades his senior, generated significant media attention when it was confirmed in 2007. After marriage, she adopted the Muslim name Zaina Mohammed. Omar bin Laden attempted to settle in the UK, but his application was rejected by British authorities.

Osama bin Laden, the founder of Al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan by US special forces in 2011. He was the son of a wealthy Saudi construction magnate and had over two dozen children.

Retailleau has pledged to restore order on immigration and crime, emphasizing that the rule of law is neither intangible nor sacred. His appointment as France’s top cop is a symbol of the country’s rightward shift under new Prime Minister Michel Barnier, following the hung parliament resulting from the summer’s legislative elections.