Osama bin Laden's son denied asylum in Spain

Spain has rejected a request for asylum by one of the sons of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden because it does not believe he is being persecuted, the Interior Ministry said.

Omar bin Laden was detained at Madrid's international airport after arriving on a stopover flight from Cairo bound for Morocco and applying for asylum on Monday.

Bin Laden, who was travelling on a Saudi Arabian passport with his British wife, reportedly applied for a British visa ealier this year but it was turned down.

Bin Laden, who has described himself in media interviews as a pacifist, has 24 hours to appeal Wednesday's decision, an Interior Ministry official said.

(Reporting by Raquel Castillo; Writing by Paul Day and Jason Webb; Editing by Jon Boyle)