Doha - Osama bin Laden's son Omar, 27, has arrived in Qatar after being deported from Egypt following his return from a failed attempt to secure political asylum in Spain, his English-born wife says.
"We're OK. We're in," Zaina Alsabah bin Laden, 52, said in a phone call shortly after their flight from Cairo landed on Sunday.
The couple were barred from entering Egypt on their return from Spain, which on Saturday turned down Bin Laden's request for political asylum.
He said his life was in danger in the Middle East because he was a pacifist.
"The Spanish government said Omar was safe in Egypt and so had a place to go, but when we arrived in Egypt they deported us," his wife said earlier by phone from Cairo airport.
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"We're not feeling good, seeing everything we have is in Egypt and we can't get anything, can't get (credit) cards, we just have cash."
Omar, one of the 19 children of the fugitive founder of the al-Qaeda terror network, appealed against Spain's refusal on Wednesday to grant him asylum after arriving from Cairo.
But Spain deemed his security was not in danger and he returned, late on Saturday, to Cairo, where the couple met and had lived for several months.
"The directive that Spain gave was illegal because they said we would be accepted in Egypt," Mrs Bin Laden said.
She and her husband said in a statement issued in Spain: "We pray that some country in the world will be merciful and allow Omar a place to live in peace.
"Omar has never participated in a single violent act. His only desire is to live the rest of his life in peace."
Spain said Bin Laden junior did not meet its requirements for asylum, and its decision was in line with the opinion of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. - Sapa-AFP
- This article was originally published on page 2 of Cape Times on November 10, 2008
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