Spain’s Interior Ministry says it has rejected an asylum request from a son of Osama bin Laden.
A ministry official says the government determined that 27-year-old Omar Osama bin Laden did not “meet the conditions necessary for entering Spain.”
The official would not elaborate or discuss the younger bin Laden’s reasons for seeking asylum upon arriving Monday at Madrid’s Barajas Airport. The ministry official spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.
Omar Osama bin Laden has 24 hours to appeal and remains in an airport transit area.
The Spanish official said the government usually seeks a recommendation from the U.N. refugee agency in asylum request cases. He says the agency also recommended against asylum.
Brief by The Associated Press