In recent years, Omar bin Laden, the son of the infamous co-founder of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, lived a quiet life in the genteel French region of Normandy painting landscapes, reports The Telegraph.

On Tuesday, however, France banned him from the country for what authorities say were comments “glorifying” his father's September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York.

Omar had denounced terrorism to enjoy a tranquil life in northern France married to a British grandmother from Cheshire, but was kicked out of the country in May 2023, authorities revealed on Tuesday.

Bruno Retailleau, France’s new hardline interior minister, said he had now signed an order banning Omar from the country permanently.

“Mr. bin Laden, who has lived in the Orne region for several years as the spouse of a British national, posted comments on his social networks in 2023 that glorified terrorism,” Retailleau said. “The administrative ban ensures that Mr. bin Laden cannot return to France for any reason whatsoever.”

The exact nature of the comments that led to Mr. bin Laden being barred from France is unclear. However, according to local daily Le Publicateur Libre, an X account with the handle @omarbinladin1 posted on May 2 2023, the 12th anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, a message paying tribute to the mastermind behind the Sept 11 2001 attacks, which destroyed the World Trade Centre in New York City.

Born in Saudi Arabia, where he spent his early years, Omar bin Laden, 43, has also lived in Sudan and Afghanistan. He left his father at the age of 19 and eventually settled in Normandy in northern France in 2016, taking up painting. Retailleau said he had lived in France as a spouse of a British national.

His marriage to Briton Jane Felix-Browne, a grandmother who had been divorced five times previously and is over two decades his senior, had caused considerable media interest when it was confirmed in 2007. After the marriage, she took on the Muslim name of Zaina Mohammed. Omar bin Laden sought to live in the UK, but his bid was rejected by the British authorities.