Friday, March 11, 2011

Rumors of Qatar coup attempt in Arab press

Albawaba:
The Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, succeeded over the past weekend to foil a coup attempt against him, Arabic press reports claimed on Monday.
...
The news about the military coup attempt coincided with a statement issued by figures in the ruling families of Qatar, who oppose the current regime, announcing they are not recognizing the legitimacy of the Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, while they backed his brother, now exiled in France, Abdul Aziz bin Khalifa in Hamad Al-Thani. The statement was signed by 66 opposition figures, including 16 from the ruling Al Thani family. The directed serious charges against the Emir, including the establishment of relations with Israel, total coordination with the United States of America and breaking the Arab ranks. They also claimed his close family members and his wife's family members are involved in cases of corruption and social injustice.


But I can't imagine FIFA or VCU are comforted by this report.

Do a Google search on Qatar coup and you find many over reports over the years. But all I find about the current alleged attempt traces back to the Albawa story of February 28. So, is it bogus?

2 Comments:

Anonymous DBR said...

Indeed, it's bogus.

For my two cents, it's a cheeky attempt to sow a bit of disharmony and spread some dirt about the Qataris. They are not wildly popular, as you know, in some quarters.

The 'demands' of the opposition are eerily reminiscent of the Facebook groups calling for a day or rage in Qatar.

Essentially, it's a pastiche of these Facebook musings and some wishful thinking.

4:08 PM  
Anonymous jbe1978 said...

A contact of mine in Doha says that there is some truth to this story. Have you heard any more details first posting?

10:56 PM  

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