Exiled in France since 2016, Omar Bin Laden, son of Osama Bin Laden, will no longer be able to return to France. An administrative decision taken after an investigation into condoning terrorism.
According to France 3, on October 8, 2024, Omar Bin Laden, living in Orne for eight years, saw his ban on stay in France confirmed.
An Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQTF) had already been issued against him by the prefect of Orne in October 2023, following suspicions of glorifying terrorism. The case dates back to May 2021, where he allegedly published a tribute to his father on Twitter.
A contested tribute, but a successful investigation
Omar Bin Laden has always denied having published this tribute, but despite his denials, the administrative investigation led to the validation of the OQTF by the Caen administrative court at the beginning of October. Shortly after, Bruno Retailleau, Minister of the Interior, also issued a total administrative ban on Omar Bin Laden’s stay, whatever the reason.
A discreet life in Normandy
Since 2016, Omar Bin Laden has lived peacefully in Normandy with his wife, in the Domfront region, after seeking refuge far from his family origins. Pascal Martin, a second-hand dealer in La Manche, recounts his meeting in 2019 with the man who became his friend: “His wife often came alone to buy furniture for their house, then Omar accompanied her. “He sat silently while she did her shopping.” Little by little, Pascal Martin established ties with the couple, especially during the period of confinement linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pascal Martin describes Omar as a person deeply marked by his past: “He experienced traumatic things with his father, it can be seen that he suffered psychologically. He is someone very difficult to understand. » Yet, beyond these trials, he testifies to a man “advocating the union of peoples and religions”, and totally opposed to the actions of his father.
A singular friendship and artistic collaboration
From this relationship was born a professional collaboration between the two men. Pascal Martin has become the exclusive dealer for the paintings of Omar Bin Laden, who turned to painting to express his emotions. “His works are often violent, they reflect his past, the people he saw die because of his father,” explains Martin, who adds that Omar confided to him that his father had always prevented him from taking an interest in to art.
“A naive, intellectually limited man” according to his friend
When the OQTF was pronounced, Pascal Martin had difficulty believing it: “I am sure there is a mistake! He does not have the intellectual capacity to instigate anything, he has never had such a speech. On the contrary, he hates terrorists and wanted to reconcile people.”
Martin paints the portrait of a “naive” man, “who did not go to school and had very limited social contacts”. For him, Omar Bin Laden is a psychological victim of terrorism: “He suffers the weight of being the ‘son of’. He and his wife just tried to integrate into France.”
The end of hope for peace in Normandy?
As for whether Omar Bin Laden led a double life to hide radical intentions, Pascal Martin doesn’t believe it for a second. He describes a quiet life in Orne, far from any agitation: “They had come to seek peace here,” he concludes. It now seems unlikely that Martin will ever see his friend again in France.
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