A son of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, seeking to live in Spain, will have to look elsewhere for political asylum.
Spanish
authorities Saturday rejected Omar bin Laden's appeal of a ruling
denying him asylum in the European country. The government turned down
the initial application for asylum earlier this week.
Spain's
Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba has said Omar bin Laden does
not meet Spanish legal requirements for political asylum. But Omar bin
Laden's wife says her husband is desperate, and worried about their
safety.
Omar bin Laden, one of the al-Qaida leader's 19 children, says he does not feel safe in Egypt, where he currently lives.
Officials
had said Omar bin Laden would be deported back to Cairo if the appeal
were rejected. But his wife tells the French news agency (AFP) they now plan
to seek asylum in New Zealand.
Omar bin Laden says he has not seen his father since leaving him in Afghanistan in 2000.
Earlier
this year, British authorities rejected Omar bin Laden's request for
permission to live in Britain after he married a British woman.
British officials said they based their decision on fears his presence
would raise significant public concern.
Omar bin Laden's father has claimed to be the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
