News on a coupe attempt in Qatar, detention, arrests at the American participation
Qatar-USA, Politics, 10/16/2002

News reports were rumored in Cairo and several Gulf states on a campaign of arrests which targeted scores of Qatari army officers, in which members of the American forces deployed in Qatar took part.

The news said that unusual movements were observed for the American forces on Saturday evening on al-Wakra road which leads to al-Aides airforce base where the road was blocked before the traffic. And this was before four mosques in Doha witnessed a wave of arrests for high ranking army officers who were said to have planned for a coupe against the Ruler of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifah al-Thani.

Well-informed sources said that the people involved in the coupe are presumed to belong to the Islamic trends and that many of them have links to al-Qaida organization. The sources said that these developments coincided with the state of dissatisfaction in the country as a result of the Qatari policy which the sources characterized as supporting an American strike against Iraq.

Diplomatic sources indicated that American personnel in civilian costumes took part in the breaking in and detention acts which targeted Pakistani and Yemeni recruited soldiers in the Qatari army, and that American forces are deployed in the streets of Doha and around sensitive areas and points.

The sources explained that members of al-Thani ruling family expressed recently in a statement their rejection to the practices of the current Qatari leadership, noting that these practices alienated Qatar from its Islamic and Arab venue. Islamic trends also expressed the same in sermons at Friday's prayers and secret publications.

Worthy mentioning that Qatar's relations with several Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia and Egypt, witnessed a new deterioration in recent months because of these states' disappointment over Doha's opening political lines on many sides including Israel and the USA in a way that confuses the Arab policies, and due to the critical programs broadcast by the Qatari al-Jazeera TV on the internal affairs of these states which see in this TV channel as a contributor to increasing tension between the Arab states.

The Egyptian daily al-Joumhoreyah said that the acts of arrest covered members in al-Thani ruling family who were planning to topple the current regime.

Previous Stories:
  Ruler of Qatar confers with AL chief   (10/15/2002)
  Gulf information ministers threaten to boycott al-Jazeera station   (10/11/2002)
  Sabri in Doha today   (10/8/2002)
  After summoning the Saudi ambassador, Riyadh and Doha not to cut relations   (10/1/2002)
  Qatar: some 600 American troops to arrive in November   (9/24/2002)
  Ruler of Qatar confers with US forces commander   (9/19/2002)
  Fox news: US military central leadership starts moving to Qatar   (9/12/2002)

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