Qatar, 1996 — dissident coup attempt

Event Summary

In February 1996 a counter coup was attempted against Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar, less than a year after Hamad had deposedi his own father, Emir Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless palace coupi in June 1995. The plot, later dubbed Operation Abu Ali, aimed to overthrow Hamad and restore his ousted father, and was led by the emir's cousin, the former economy minister and police chief Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, drawing on tribal networks, including the Al Murrah, still loyal to the old emir. According to a 2018 Al Jazeera investigation, the operation was backed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt, and relied on a hybrid force including the French mercenary Paul Barril and thousands of Chadian fighters, with a plan to place Hamad under house arrest and summon militias across the Saudi border.

The coup was discovered and foiled before it could be executed. Hamad responded with a sweeping security crackdown, arresting scores of suspects across many tribes; the plot's architect was captured in 1999 and, with dozens of others, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000.