Egypt denies entry to Osama bin Laden's son

Egyptian authorities have barred entry to the son of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, forcing him to head to Turkey instead, security officials at Cairo airport said on Saturday.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

18 December, 2016

Omar is Osama bin Laden's fourth son [AFP]

Omar bin Laden, son of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has been deported to Turkey after he was denied entry to Egypt, security officials at Cairo airport said on Saturday.

Omar and his wife arrived from Qatar on Saturday but after checking details of his Saudi passport, security officials found his name on a list of those banned from entering the country.

Both Omar - a businessman - and his wife then decided to leave for Turkey, according to officials.

However, Omar dismissed the incident as a "misunderstanding".

"I don't know the reason behind the Egyptian decision, but I am sure it is a misunderstanding," he told Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

Omar is Osama bin Laden's fourth son. He spent most of his childhood in al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan.

Between 1996 and 2001, Omar was mostly based in Afghanistan.

Osama bin Laden allegedly has around 20 sons from different marriages, according to Reuters.

He was killed at his hideout in Pakistan by US commandos in 2011.

In 2010 Omar told Reuters that bin Laden's children were working to be "good citizens of the world" despite the stigma associated with being al-Qaeda's leader's sons.