 |
|
Al-Qanaah website reported that the CIA received information concerning an attack planned by Al-Qaeda members against the U.S. embassy in Qatar
|
By
Dalia Al-Hadidi, IOL Qatar Correspondent
DOHA,
September 20 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – The U.S. embassy in
Qatar denied Thursday, September 19, reports about an unsuccessful
attempt by Al-Qaeda network to bomb its headquarterd on the first
anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The
September 11 ceremony at the embassy was cancelled due to
"general" security reasons based on the warnings issued by the
American Foreign Ministry to all its embassies around the world before
September 11, 2002.
"Reports
by Al-Qanaah news website is totally false and unfounded," a well
informed source in the embassy told IslamOnline, adding that the
ceremony was cancelled one day before the set date, and not one hour
before it like the site said.
The
source added that the Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem
bin Jabr al-Thani was not expected to attend the ceremony at the embassy
as claimed by the website.
Al-Qanaah
website quoted Thursday, September 19, western diplomatic sources in the
Qatari capital Doha as saying that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
received information concerning an attack planned by Al-Qaeda members
against the U.S. embassy in Qatar.
It
said the attack will be carried out using the same method used before to
bomb the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania years ago.
Al-Qanaah
added that the perpetrators of the attack were of various nationalities
and were hiding in a ranch in a suburban area in Doha owned by a Qatari
official.
U.S.
agents broke into the ranch and took people inside to an unidentified
place, enraging the Qatari official who accused Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa al-Thani and his Foreign Minister of trying to offend him by
leaking false information about him to the American authorities, the
website reported.
In
his word marking the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks that
was published on the embassy website, U.S. ambassador in Qatar Morren
Queen, praised Qatar's official and popular positions sympathizing with
the American people following the attacks.
Qatar
notably signaled Friday, September 13, 2002, that it would consider an
eventual request from its U.S. "ally" to use its territory as
a launchpad for a strike on Iraq.
“We
still don’t have a direct request from the United States ... When we
[get] this direct request, we can discuss it and see how we can
[respond to] it,” Qatari Foreign Minister told CNN.
His
comment was followed by the U.S. national security leadership’s
decision to move the entire Tampa, Florida-based Central Command to
Qatar amid fears of an upcoming strike against Iraq.
