A Qatari royal is reported to be in Kuwait for medical treatment, after he had alleged that the United Arab Emirates was holding him against his will.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali al-Thani was admitted into a military hospital in Kuwait for a check-up following his arrival late Tuesday from the UAE, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas said, citing an unnamed security official.
"He was taken to the hospital at his request because he feels a bit exhausted," the official added without further details.
It is the latest chapter in Al Thani's mysterious travels, after he appeared in an online video on Sunday, following months of silence, to say the UAE wouldn't allow him to leave. His claim came amid a months-long diplomatic dispute between Qatar and several Gulf countries, including the UAE. Kuwaiti online newspaper al-Aan quoted a Kuwaiti diplomat as saying that "Kuwait welcomes whoever comes to it as long as he is committed to laws that do not allow harming any Gulf or Arab country."
Kuwait was handling Qatari sheikh's case on a "humanitarian basis," the diplomat said. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Kuwait has so far failed in its attempts to resolve the dispute.
