Saudi, UAE, Bahrain planned to occupy Qatar with militias in 1996 foiled coup

The details of the 1996 coup attempt of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain to topple Qatar’s former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani have been revealed in an Al Jazeera documentary.

The foiled coup occurred on Feb. 14 1996, merely one year after Sheikh Hamad took to the throne. The attempt, called “Operation Abu Ali” was plotted jointly by the former police chief and cousin of Sheikh Hamad, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.

A committee was established to shape the coup headed by Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed, then chief of staff of the UAE armed forces and current crown prince of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa, then crown prince of Bahrain; Sheikh Sultan bin AbdulAziz, then Saudi minister of defense and Omar Suleiman, the late Egyptian intelligence chief and former vice president of Egypt.

A raid by a group of men on the house of Sheikh Hamad was organized, and they were ordered to place him under house arrest. Although the raid was scheduled for Feb. 16, 1996 at 5 a.m., Emirati Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed ordered that it be conducted two days earlier to prevent the coup from being exposed.

The putschists were planning on enabling militias to enter Qatar through the Saudi border once the military and security institutions were under their control.

The planned coup was discovered despite efforts by the coup committee to keep it secret.

"If they had taken over, and if the forces had entered - whether from the UAE or the Emirates or Bahrain - they would have had no qualms killing those they spot in the street. They have nothing to lose," retired Brigadier-General Shaheen al-Sulaiti told Al Jazeera.

In 1995, Saudi-Qatar relations were strained following two unsuccessful coup attempts against Sheikh Hamad, who opposed Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In 2002, Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador from Qatar because of Al Jazeera’s press policy. Qatar-Gulf relations experienced the most troubled period in 2011 with the beginning of the Arab Spring.

The Egyptian and Libyan processes especially bothered the UAE, which is a staunch opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood. More recently, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt launched a blockade against Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism, charges which it denies.

Yeni Şafak had earlier reported on the coup plans of the UAE targeting Qatar. Qatari Sheikh Sultan bin Suhaim Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family who called for a radical overhaul of his country’s foreign policy, was welcomed to his “second home” by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.