Pat Dollard | Young Americans

The son of Osama bin Laden has been banned from entering Britain to live with his new wife because of fears that his presence would cause “considerable public concern”.

Officials have told Omar Ossama bin Laden that there is evidence that he is still loyal to his father, who is held responsible for the deaths of 52 innocent people in the London bombings of July 7, 2005.

Mr bin Laden, 27, is appealing against the refusal to grant him a visa and says that it is wrong to ban him from Britain on the basis of his parentage and inaccurate media reports about his beliefs.

He wants to live in Cheshire with his British wife, Zaina Alsabah bin Laden, 52, formerly known as Jane Felix-Browne. The couple were married in Saudi Arabia last year after a holiday romance but have been living in Egypt while waiting for Mr bin Laden’s visa application to be processed.

His application was refused by an entry clearance officer at the British Embassy in Cairo. The embassy said that the decision had been made on the ground that “exclusion from the United Kingdom is conducive to the public good . . . in the light of the character, conduct or association of the person seeking leave to enter it is undesirable to give him leave to enter”.

The officer added: “I note that statements made during recent media interviews indicate evidence of continuing loyalty to your father, and your presence in the UK could, therefore, cause considerable public concern.”

Mr and Mrs bin Laden have lodged an appeal to be heard by an immigration judge, claiming that the decision is “unjust and arbitrary”. They say there is no evidence that his presence in Britain would be a security risk.

Mr bin Laden left Saudi Arabia as a child when his father was expelled for his extremist beliefs and the family lived in exile in Sudan and then Afghanistan. He said that he left his father before the attacks on the US in September 11, 2001, and returned to Saudi Arabia, were he worked as a metals trader. The couple met in Egypt in September 2006. After their marriage Mr bin Laden divorced his first bride; his new wife’s application to live with him in Saudi Arabia is still being processed.

Mrs bin Laden, 52, who has been married six times and has three sons and five grandchildren, said: “In September last year Omar left Saudi Arabia for good because we couldn’t live apart any more – it was breaking our hearts. It could take the Saudi government years to wade through all their applications before they get to ours.

“We have a nice house in Cairo, but we have no real place to call home. I need my family and I need medical attention in the UK. Our only chance to be together was to live in Britain. We have vowed never to be parted. Omar will never take another wife as long as I am alive.”

Her husband applied for a married settlement visa in October last year. He was granted a visa to visit Italy in February and this month was granted a Schengen visa to travel freely within Europe. The couple have recently visited Austria, Belgium and France without any trouble.

Since being thrust into the public spotlight after becoming the first of bin Laden’s children to marry a Westerner, Mr bin Laden has repeatedly condemned the attacks on America and London. He said he could not condemn his father because he had no evidence of his involvement in terrorism.

Mr bin Laden said: “Who can know 100 per cent that my father is behind 9/11 or 7/7? I am not a judge and jury. I do not know if my father is a terrorist or was involved in the attacks.

“I want to come to England with my wife so she can be close to her children and grandchildren and she should also be near her hospital. The English are nice people and I am sure they will welcome me. People will understand I am not my father. I want to stop war, stop bombing and stop the killing.”

(Times Online)