Spain has rejected a request for asylum by one of the sons of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden because it does not believe he is being persecuted, the Interior Ministry said.
Omar bin Laden was detained at Madrid’s international airport after arriving on a stopover flight from Cairo bound for Morocco and applying for asylum on Monday.
Bin Laden, who was travelling on a Saudi Arabian passport with his British wife, reportedly applied for a British visa earlier this year but it was turned down.
Bin Laden, who has described himself in media interviews as a pacifist, has 24 hours to appeal Wednesday’s decision, an Interior Ministry official said. — Reuters