Bin Laden’s son seeks asylum in Spain

The 27-year-old son of Osama bin Laden has claimed political asylum in Spain, insisting that unlike his father he is a peaceful chap and does not share any of his terrorist inclinations. Omar Osama bin Laden made his request when he stopped over in Barajas Aiport, Madrid, on Monday evening with his British wife, Jane Felix-Browne (pictured with her husband), a 52-year-old grandmother, who he married last year.

In April, Omar was banned from entering Britain to live with Felix-Browne, who goes by her Islamic name Zaina Mohamad, because of fears that his presence would cause "considerable public concern". The Home Office also felt there was evidence he was still loyal to his father. In 2000, he travelled to Afghanistan with his father where he was said to have trained in an al-Qaeda terrorist camp. However, Omar says he left before the 9/11 attacks in America, but some reports suggest he only left after the 2001 atrocity following an argument with his father.

In a statement yesterday, Omar said that it was wrong to ban him from Britain on the basis of his parentage and inaccurate media reports about his beliefs. He said his father should "look for another way to achieve his goals", adding: "It is no good for anyone to use bombs and arms."

Born in Saudi Arabia, he is the fourth eldest of Osama bin Laden's 17 children. He spent ten years with his father while he was in exile in Sudan and currently works as a scrap metal dealer in Jedda. He married Mrs Felix-Browne, a parish councillor from Moulton, Cheshire, in 2006. He is her sixth husband.

At the time of her marriage, she told the Times: "It would be nice if, like any other married woman, I could stand up and say this is my husband and this is his name, but I have to be realistic about things. I hope people don't judge me too harshly. I married the son, not the father. I just married the man I met and fell in love with – to me he is just Omar," she said. Under Spanish law, a decision about whether or not to grant him asylum must be made in 72 hours.
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