INTERNET REPORTS RUMORS OF FOILED COUP ATTEMPT IN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000489

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINS QA
SUBJECT: INTERNET REPORTS RUMORS OF FOILED COUP ATTEMPT IN
QATAR

Classified By: Ambassador Joseph E. LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b and d).

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(C) KEY POINTS
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-- Several websites and blogs have reported that the Qatari
leadership foiled a coup attempt by the Qatari military on
July 30.

-- Among those officers allegedly involved: MG Hamad bin Ali
Al-Attiyah, Chief of Staff.

-- The websites, most of whom appear to have traced their
information to Ilaf.com, a Saudi-owned, London-based,
website, claimed that the coup attempt was the culmination of
rising tensions between members of the ruling Al Thani family.

-- Embassy has been unable to corroborate the rumors, and it
doubts that they are true, although it could well be true
that tensions are rising among the tiny group at the pinnacle
of Al-Thani power.

-- The reports might stem, at least in part, from an internal
dispute between members of two bedouin tribes in May. The
Amir reportedly returned from abroad to address the fighting,
which we understand involved several senior members of the
Qatari military. But that intertribal dispute, which we
understand turned violent at one point, was quickly
contained.

-- In short, absent more solid information, Embassy does not
believe at this point that a coup attempt occurred.
Additional detail and analysis are below.

End Key Points.


1. (C) Various websites and blogs, relying largely on
information from Ilaf.com, reported recently that the Qatari
leadership had foiled a coup attempt on July 30. The reports
said that 16 senior military commanders had been placed under
house arrest. As many as 30 officers overall, among them 5
from the Amiri Guard, were reported to have been arrested.


2. (C) Among those officers allegedly involved was Chief of
Staff Major General Hamad bin Ali Al-Attiyah.


3. (C) The websites claimed that the coup attempt was the
culmination of rising tensions within the ruling Al Thani
family, with veiled references to the increasing power of
Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani. Others
attributed Al-Attiyah's alleged involvement to his
disagreement over the course of Qatar's policy toward Iran.


4. (S) In complete contrast to these reports, Embassy has
observed nothing out of the ordinary on the streets of Doha,
and our senior military contacts stress that the reports are
false and that General Al-Attiyah remains in his command.
Moreover, the Ministry of Interior's State Minister, Shaykh
Abdulla Al Thani, remains abroad on vacation, and we are told
that he has no plans to interrupt his vacation to return to
Qatar. If there were anything to this story, Shaykh Abdulla
almost certainly would return to Qatar.


5. (S) One possible explanation for the reports is a garble,
intentional or otherwise, stemming from a tribal dispute in
May that involved several senior members of the Qatari armed
forces. According to post contact, in May, land forces
commander Fahad Al-Khayreen became involved in a dispute
between one of his relatives and a member of another tribe.
The dispute reportedly culminated in a night-time exchange of
gunfire in Doha between members of the two families, and
quite possibly involved Al-Khayreen himself. The Amir
reportedly returned from abroad to settle this dispute and
Al-Khayreen was notified that he would be retired from
military service. It is possible that these events,
embellished over time by rumors of dissatisfaction among the
Al Thani, were erroneously reported by the media.


6. (S) Absent additional information, the Embassy believes
that, at this point, the Internet reports of an attempted
coup by the Qatari military are not credible.


7. (S) The situation in Doha is calm, with no visible
indication that Internal Security Forces (ISF) raised its
profile. On an ordinary day during the fall and winter

DOHA 00000489 002 OF 002


months, ISF officers maintain a presence at most main highway
interchanges during peak traffic hours. This presence eases
during the summer months, when most Westerners and many
Qataris leave the country. Had the ISF raised its profile
back to the levels seen during the rest of the year, it would
not have gone unnoticed. ISF levels remain at a reduced
summer level.


8. (S) When the Embassy began hearing reports of the supposed
coup attempt, acting OMC Chief LTC Dishman contacted a senior
Qatari military officer whose word is credible. The officer
denied the reports that MG Al-Attiyah had been removed. He
reported that the Chief of Staff remains in command and that
the General had no plans to resign or retire at this time
(Note: Al-Attiyah has served as Chief of Staff for nearly 12
years and stays on at the personal behest of the Amir. End
Note).


9. (S) While the reports attribute the coup attempt to either
tensions within the Al Thani family or Al-Attiyah's supposed
dissatisfaction with Iran policy, they offer no link between
the two. Considered alone, neither provides a logical reason
for moving against the Amir.


10. (S) Al-Attiyah is near the pinnacle of power, trusted by
the Amir and his circle. He is wealthy and satisfied, and if
anything, would like to step away from power and enjoy the
wealth that his position has brought him. A successful coup
on his own behalf is unthinkable in a country where Al Thani
rule appears to be quite solid.


11. (S) We believe tension is rising between the Prime
Minister and the three other Al Thanis at the pinnacle of
power: the Amir; his wife, Shaykha Moza; and his son, the
Crown Prince. But the Prime Minister is poorly positioned to
organize a coup against the Amir. The security forces and
Qatari intelligence report to the Crown Prince, not the Prime
Minister. Were the Prime Minister tempted to establish
himself as Amir, he would probably wait until the death of
the current Amir, who is known to be in poor health, then
move against Crown Prince Tamim. Even then, he would be
poorly positioned. With each passing month, the Crown Prince
continues to gradually accumulate power, with his father's
apparently active support.
LeBaron