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?????????????????????????????????????????????????Tuesday, June 27, 2017
'UAE ruler's friend' ran Libyan plot to kill Saudi crown prince
Libyan involved in 2003 plot has lived in UAE and is close to Abu Dhabi ruler, says Gaddafi son - contradicting Saudi claims of Qatari involvement
Mohammed bin Zayed allegedly befriended and gave shelter to Libyan Mohammed Ismail (AFP)
Libyan involved in 2003 plot has lived in UAE and is close to Abu Dhabi ruler, says Gaddafi son - contradicting Saudi claims of Qatari involvement
Mohammed bin Zayed allegedly befriended and gave shelter to Libyan Mohammed Ismail (AFP)
A Libyan spy who acted as the bagman in a botched plot to kill the late
Saudi king Abdullah has close links to the de facto ruler of the UAE,
according to claims made by a son of Muammar Gaddafi that rock Saudi
claims of Qatari involvement.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir this month claimed Qatar's former
emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, plotted in 2003 with the former
Libyan dictator to kill Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the then-Saudi crown
prince, in Mecca.
The
plot, which was ordered by Gaddafi, was overseen by Mohammed Ismail, a
colonel in Gaddafi's military intelligence, Libyan spy chief Moussa
Koussa and Abdurahman Alamoudi, an American Muslim leader now serving a
23-year jail sentence in the US after confessing his part in the
assassination attempt.
The
plotters planned to assassinate the Saudi royal by firing a missile at
his motorcade. Ismail was central to the plot, both in recruiting
potential assassins and facilitating the payment of Saudi dissidents in
London to take part in the plot.
However, in a previously unreported 2014 interview, Gaddafi's son
Al-Saadi said Ismail had become a close friend of Abu Dhabi's crown
prince, Mohammed bin Zayed, had his direct phone line, and was granted
Emirati citizenship after the fall of Gaddafi's government in 2011.
Jubeir said in an interview with
al-Arabiya: "Regarding terrorism in Saudi Arabia backed by Qatar, in
one case we found a Qatari role in Gaddafi’s plot to assassinate the
former king in Mecca."
Separately a royal adviser, Saud al-Qahtani, alleged on Twitter that
Qatar's former emir was personally involved in the failed plot. He
claimed Sheikh Hamad travelled to Tripoli and told Gaddafi he was ready
"to fulfill all his requests" to get Saudi dissidents involved.
Qahtani said Gaddafi launched the plan after being insulted by Abdullah at an Arab League conference.
In his posts, Qahtani said: "Gaddafi was extremely angry and established
contact with Saudi dissidents, specifically those living in London, who
did not cooperate with him due to their agreement to work for the emir
of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifah.
Qahtani's Twitter posts about the assassination plot (screengrab)
"Gaddafi asked the emir to help him exact revenge upon Abdullah, and
Hamad indicated his preparedness, so they agreed to hold a meeting.
"Hamad Bin Khalifah then issued his orders to the dissidents of London
to execute all commands that reach them from the Libyan Colonel Mohammed
Ismail."
But the interview with Al-Saadi Gaddafi, first broadcast online by
Libyan media in November 2014 after his arrest in Niger and extradition
to Libya, highlights Ismail's alleged links with the UAE, an arch foe of
Qatar.
In the video, Saadi states: "... and Mohammed Ismail, they gave him UAE
citizenship - he lives in Abu Dhabi. Mohammed Ismail was brought to the
UAE by Mohammed bin Zayed.
"Mohammed bin Zayed has a mobile phone number that is reserved only for
communication with heads of state - Mohammed Ismail has that number.
Even I do not have it, but Mohammed Ismail has it."
MEE has been unable to verify the circumstances under which the video was recorded.
Mohammed bin Zayed has a mobile phone number that is reserved for heads of state - Mohammed Ismail has that number- Saadi Gaddafi
To kill a mocking prince
Saudi authorities convicted Ismail
for his role orchestrating the plot after he was arrested in November
2003, hours after he left the kingdom as the plan fell apart. Saudi
officials said he had confessed to his role and was also being
interrogated by FBI and CIA agents.
The 2003 plot was hatched by Gaddafi, reports said, after he had been
mocked by Abdullah at an Arab League summit, where Abdullah stated in
open session that Gaddafi's "lies precede you and your grave is in front
of you''.
Contemporary reports said
the plot involved the payment of $1m to Saudi militants who would
use grenades or shoulder-held missiles in the attack on Abdullah as he
drove through Mecca.
The Washington Post reported that the plot was botched at several stages,
including the transfer of money to the wrong bank in Medina, and the
cash being stuffed into several bags and left outside a room at the
Hilton hotel in Mecca for pick-up by a Saudi courier.
Ismail
was reported as saying that his mission was to pay the militants. His
statements, crossed referenced with those of Alamoudi, was deemed
credible enough for the US to launch an investigation.
British officials also investigated the case and the alleged role of two London-based Saudi dissidents.
The New York Times reported that FBI interrogators asked Ismail whether he had been tortured or abused while in custody in Saudi Arabia.
Ismail replied that he had been treated well and that he wanted to apply
for political asylum, because he assumed that if he returns to Libya,
he would be killed.
However, Ismail was pardoned by King Abdullah when he took the throne in 2005 as part of a rapprochement with Libya.
He returned to Libya where Middle East Eye understands he continued to serve the Gaddafi family as a "gatekeeper".
MEE
has been unable to confirm Ismail’s current whereabouts, though he was
reported to have been in contact with Saif al-Islam, another of
Gaddafi's son, as recently as 2012.
Mohammed Ismail, pictured in Tripoli in 2011 (AFP)
The return of the Gaddafi clan?
Saadi also states in the video that the UAE had planned to reinstate a Gaddafi family member as ruler of Libya.
"Mohammed
bin Zayed wants to bring Saif al-Islam Gaddafi back into political life
in Libya but only once the situation in Libya calms down,” he said.
Saif
al-Islam was recently released from prison, where Ismail has maintained
contact with him via his legal team, and taken to eastern Libya, which
is controlled by General Khalifa Haftar, the UAE's ally in Libya.
The
claims by Jubeir and Qahtani come as Saudi Arabia leads a blockade
against Qatar over links to "terrorism" and support for Iran. Qatar
denies the claims.
Saudi
Arabia, backed by the UAE and Bahrain, has failed in two weeks of
dispute to produce any evidence against Qatar, including the claims of
the assassination attempt, which the US State Department said on Tuesday
was "mystifying".
Last week it listed 13 demands to end the blockade, including serious curbs on foreign policy and the closure of Al Jazeera - which were outright rejected by Doha.
This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.