One of the sons of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will appeal against the Spanish government's refusal to grant him political asylum, his wife said today.
Omar bin Laden, who was travelling on a Saudi Arabian passport and failed to obtain a British visa earlier this year, has been held since Monday at Madrid airport where he stopped over on a flight from Cairo to Morocco and requested asylum.
The application was refused because the government did not believe he faced persecution in Egypt where he had been living, the Interior Ministry said.
An emailed statement from his British wife Zaina al Sabah said bin Laden had been in danger in Egypt and he would appeal against the Spanish decision.
"Omar is an innocent young man who has never participated in a single violent act," the statement said.
"We also pray that some country in the world will be merciful and allow Omar a place to live in peace," it said, adding that he had been forced to leave Egypt because his life was in danger despite being made welcome there by the Egyptian government.
"Omar has repeatedly spoken out against violence from any quarter, including his father," the statement said, adding that he had stopped living with Osama bin Laden before he masterminded the September 11 attacks on the United States seven years ago.
Reuters