Qatari royal ‘held in opposition to his will within the UAE’

A member of the Qatari royal family says he is being held in opposition to his will within the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani released on Sunday a video observation asserting that he became as soon as « a prisoner » within the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and that if something took build to him, « Sheikh Mohammed » is accountable.

Whereas he did no longer specify, Sheikh Abdullah perceived to be referring to the Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. 

« I’m currently in Abu Dhabi. I became as soon as a visitor of Sheikh Mohammed. I’m no longer a visitor; I’m a prisoner, »  he said within the video, which became as soon as broadly circulated on social media.

« They told me no longer to leave. I’m unnerved that something might perchance maybe perchance perchance happen to me, and the oldsters of Qatar shall be blamed. So I appropriate wanted to inform you that if something occurs to me, the oldsters of Qatar are harmless, » added Sheikh Abdullah.

« I’m a visitor of Sheikh Mohammed and if something occurs to me after this, he is fully accountable. » 

Sheikh Abdullah is a son of a Qatari emir from the Sixties, Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani. He dropped off the radar for a protracted time however rose to prominence suddenly final summer when a essential diplomatic disaster broke out within the Gulf.

After Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Qatar in June, Sheikh Abdullah seemed continually on Saudi and UAE tv programmes expressing his views in reinforce of the measures in opposition to Doha.

At an Arab League meeting in Cairo in September, Qatar’s Minister of Mumble for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad al-Muraikhi said Saudi Arabia became as soon as taking a look to depose Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and replace him with Sheikh Abdullah.

‘Anticipated behaviour’

Majed al-Ansari, a professor at Qatar University, said Sheikh Abdullah’s obvious detention shall be seen as part of a noteworthy broader « building of behaviour » by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in coping with excessive-profile Arab personalities that might perchance maybe perchance perchance presumably be frail as leverage.

In November, Lebanese officials alleged that High Minister Saad Hariri became as soon as being held hostage by Saudi authorities.

Hariri seemed on tv from Saudi Arabia on November Four to bid his resignation, however retracted it when he returned home.

Ragged Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafiq released a a linked video in November, asserting he became as soon as being barred from leaving the UAE, the build he had been living since 2012. 

« Here’s now the way in which that Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi take care of their buddies, » al-Ansari told Al Jazeera.

« Sheikh Abdullah is of no expend to those countries because their thought to orchestrate a coup in Qatar has failed miserably. »