The blockade has now been in place for more than a month. The UAE embassy in Washington has denied the allegations in a statement posted on its webpage. The assertion was signed by UAE ambassador to the United States Yousef Al Otaiba. In line with the Qataris, the Qatari government despatched notices to all regional broadcasters and media outlets inside forty five minutes saying the information agency’s site had been hacked and the emir’s quotes had been fabricated. The Qataris also mentioned that prior to the hack, Qatar had acquired little coverage within the U.S. Separately, NBC News has found, Qatar was the goal of one other faux information story every week after the May hack. The purported ransom, based on regional news media, was highlighted as another example of how Qatar was supporting and financing terrorism. The media cited “militant teams” and “government officials within the region” as sources for the ransom tale. At the very least one major international publication picked up the story. According to a few U.S.
The two others informed NBC News that they might “steer you away” from the concept al Qaeda obtained any cash. Instead, the ransom was given to the Iraqi government, which had secured the captives’ release. The Iraqis saved the money instead of giving it to the kidnappers, in line with one of many officials. None of the three officials have been keen to painting the faux ransom story because the work of the UAE or any of the opposite international locations blockading Qatar, however did not dispute it could possibly be a part of a broader effort to discredit the country. The story started on December 16, 2015 when a gaggle of 27 Qatari nationals had been grabbed by bandits while on a looking trip in southern Iraq. Although local media known as the group a “royal looking occasion,” one of many U.S. As often occurs within the region, the bandits “offered” the group to a Shia militia group in Iraq’s Muthanna Province, northwest of Kuwait, the place they were held.
The Qatari government approached the Iraqi authorities and negotiations began, stated a senior U.S. Iraq told the Qataris that they had no control over the militia, but said the hostages were being treated nicely and had been supplied with food and different amenities, including air-conditioning. Tensions between the 2 countries flared amidst the negotiations. In March, Iraq shut down Al Jazeera’s Baghdad channel. Al Jazeera is owned by the Qatari authorities. Finally, after one other round of talks, the kidnapping was resolved. On April 15, a chartered Qatari Airlines plane landed at Baghdad International Airport, loaded not with a billion dollars, but 300 million euros, about $330 million U.S. Six days later, after virtually a yr and a half of captivity, the hostages were released and flown back to Qatar on the identical aircraft that brought the cash to Baghdad. The Qataris never spoke to the kidnappers. The Iraqi government did all the talking, the three U.S. 330 million in euros when it was delivered to Baghdad. In an April press convention, and in a speech to parliament, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi congratulated Iraqi security services for his or her work in resolving the kidnapping. The prime minister said the money had been supposed for terrorists, however Iraqi authorities had confiscated it. And that’s the place the money remains. Despite the claims that will later circulate in regional media that terrorist kidnappers had received the ransom, two of the U.S. In an announcement to Al Jazeera following the release, Qatari officials denied any cash was ever intended for terrorists. In its statement to NBC News, the Qatari authorities noted that on June 21, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi had stated that the payments delivered to Iraq weren’t unpacked.
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