Doha: A controversial member of Qatar’s royal family says he is being detained in the UAE, media reported Sunday, sparking a quick denial by Emirati officials.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al-Thani, a little-known royal, emerged as a key figure in the dispute between the Gulf states in the weeks after Riyadh and Abu Dhabi cut ties with Doha in June.
He is seen by some as a potential challenger to the Qatari leadership. A video circulating online, also broadcast by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television, shows the sheikh warning that he was “afraid something could happen to me that will be blamed on Qatar”.
“I am now in Abu Dhabi, where I was a guest of (UAE crown prince) Sheikh Mohammed” bin Zayed al-Nahyan, said Sheikh Abdullah.
“That is no longer the case. I am now detained.”“I want to make clear that the people of Qatar are innocent,” the sheikh said.
“Sheikh Mohammed bears full responsibility for anything that happens to me.” The UAE denied that Sheikh Abdullah was being held against his will, with state news agency WAM reporting he was in the country “at his own behest”.
