Bin Laden's son to appeal after Britain rejects residency

EGYPT: Osama bin Laden's son Omar is to appeal after his application to move to Britain with his British wife was rejected because his presence might cause "considerable public concern," his wife said on Thursday.

Omar bin Laden, 27, married Zaina Alsabah, 52, formerly known as Jane Felix-Browne, in Omar's homeland of Saudi Arabia last year and the couple had hoped to move to Britain to be near the rest of Zaina's family.

But the Entry Clearance Officer at the British embassy in Cairo turned down his application to move to Britain because of "continuing loyalty to your father who is ultimately held responsible for the London bombing in July 2005."

UK-based lawyer Amjad Malik released the embassy's assessment which said his "exclusion from the United Kingdom is conducive to the public good."

The British embassy told AFP it did not comment on individual visa applications. The immigration officer said the decision was made because of "statements (Omar) made in recent media interviews," but the couple denounced the fact that the decision had been made on "evidence obtained from newspaper articles."

Cairo, Friday, AFP