On Tuesday evening, a number of members of the Qatar ruling family were kidnapped in Iraq. At the time, the ruling family members were amongst a group of Qatari hunters. It is unknown how many ruling family members were captured. The news was reported by a source within the Iraqi police.
The kidnapped group was reportedly hunting falcons in the Najaf Desert in Iraq at the time of their capture. A group of armed individuals who were dressed in military uniforms kidnapped the group of 16 Qataris. Some of these Qataris are members of the Qatar ruling family. The reporting source did not name any specific family members who were captured in the incident.
The reporting source said, “Among the Qatari hunters abducted last night by armed militants were members of Qatar’s ruling family.”
From there, reports indicate that the kidnapped individuals were taken away in an unknown direction. Security officials have launched an investigation into the incident, and they are still searching for the individuals who were abducted.
At the present time, it is still unknown who was responsible for the kidnapping. Members of the Qatari ruling family come to Iraq every year around this time to go hunting. According to the reporting source, the family had arrived in Iraq just two weeks prior to the kidnapping.
The reporting source said, “They come to Iraq every year in December and stay there for 30 days to hunt.”
When Iraq was still ruled by Saddam Hussein, such trips to Iraq were usually organized with the support of local security services. This made Qatari citizens feel quite safe about visiting Iraq.
However, after the dictator’s overthrow, there have been fewer trips to Iraq by the people of Qatar. Now, Qatari citizens are more fearful of the security situation in Iraq.
The House of Thani has been the ruling family of Qatar since the 19th century.
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