A son of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was deported on Tuesday 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 he had previously been deported.

He gave no details about the timing of the deportation or where he had been sent.

“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,” Retailleau said in a post on X.

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

Omar could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to local weekly newspaper Le Publicateur Libre, he 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 him in the village of Domfort, Normandy.

Editorial

US aggression
Updated 23 Jun, 2025

US aggression

If there is any state in the world that the international community must be concerned about harbouring weapons of mass destruction, it is Israel.
Finishing the job
23 Jun, 2025

Finishing the job

THE federal health minister’s assertion of a 99pc reduction in polio cases in Pakistan, while impressive on the...
Exam leaks
23 Jun, 2025

Exam leaks

FOR students who put in countless hours of hard work for their secondary school exams — mainly to secure admission...
‘Hybrid’ talk
22 Jun, 2025

‘Hybrid’ talk

IN the past, while most elected governments would at least publicly bristle at the mention of being partners in ...
Farcical nomination
Updated 22 Jun, 2025

Farcical nomination

Many citizens have expressed dismay and embarrassment over this symbolic capitulation to the US presidency.
Sunken dreams
22 Jun, 2025

Sunken dreams

THE heartrending fate of people escaping conflict, deprivation and instability across the globe is among the...