The Spanish government has rejected a request by Osama bin Laden`s son Omar for political asylum because it does not accept his argument that his life is in danger in the Middle East, a source close to his entourage said Wednesday.

`The reason they gave is that they don`t believe his life is in danger,` the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case, told AFP.

Contacted by AFP, the Spanish interior ministry was not able to immediately confirm that the asylum request had been turned down.

Omar, who has urged his father to give up violence, had argued that his life was threatened in the Middle East because of his pacifist positions.

The 28-year-old made the asylum request on Monday immediately after he arrived at Madrid`s Barajas airport on a flight from Cairo, where he currently lives with his British wife Zaina Alsabah bin Laden, 52, formerly known as Jane Felix-Browne. They married in 2006.