American President Barack Obama's half brother was refused a visa to enter the UK because he had been accused of a serious crime on a previous visit, it emerged this evening.
Samson Obama was on his way to Washington for the President's inauguration in January but was stopped by immigration officials at East Midlands Airport, central England. Biometric tests discovered the Kenyan mobile phone shop manager was linked to a serious incident in the UK last November, the News of the World will report tomorrow.
In its early edition tonight, the newspaper said Samson was arrested by police in Berkshire after an alleged sex attack on a British girl but he was never charged. A Home Office spokesman confirmed Samson Obama was refused a visa after immigration officers noticed one of the documents he supplied with his visa application was false which led them to make further inquiries.
A UK Border Agency spokesmantur said: "We consider all visa applications based on their merits. We will oppose the entry of individuals to the UK where we believe their presence is not conducive to the public good. The UK's border controls are among the toughest in the world. All visa applicants are fingerprinted and checked against watch lists.
"Using this hi-tech system we have detected more than 5,600 attempts to use false identities since December 2007. Our officers in 135 countries around the world are working with law enforcement agencies and airlines to clamp down on forged passports and visas, creating an offshore ring of steel to protect the UK." Samson is one of President Obama's half brothers and sisters by his father. Samson's mother Kezia, 67, has reportedly lived in Bracknell for six years.
The News of the World said that Samson took a connecting flight to Washington after being refused entry at East Midlands. |