Egypt ? The son of al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden was questioned at the Cairo airport by Egyptian officials on Saturday after his application for asylum in Spain was rejected, said an airport security official.

Omar Osama bin Laden sought asylum in Spain, claiming he would not be safe if returned to an Arab country. Spain said his application did not meet its requirements. Bin Laden, 27, and his wife were then sent back to Egypt, where they have lived for the past year.

Egyptian officials said they were opening an investigation to determine what prompted the couple to seek political asylum in Spain.

The Egyptian airport official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said a decision had not yet been made to allow them in the country.

Zaina Alsabah, the younger bin Laden’s 52-year-old British wife, told the Associated Press by phone that the couple had applied for asylum in Spain because their residency permits in Cairo were not renewed and they had been threatened.