India says Qatar freed eight ex-navy personnel reportedly held for spying
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Qatar has not commented on the case or made the charges public.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW DELHI - India’s foreign ministry said on Feb 12 that Qatar had freed eight former navy personnel it had previously arrested and sentenced to death, reportedly for spying for Israel.
The foreign ministry never gave details on the eight Indian nationals or their alleged crimes, and Qatar has not commented on the case nor made the charges public.
But Indian media have reported that the men – among them former high-ranking and decorated officers, including captains who once commanded warships – were arrested in Doha in August 2022.
In October 2023, India said it was “shocked” after a Qatari court sentenced them to death, but the sentence was reduced in December.
The eight men were employees of Al Dahra, a Gulf-based company that offers “complete support solutions” to the aerospace, security and defence sectors, according to its website.
The Hindu newspaper reported that the men were spying for a “third country”, while the Times of India has said that “various reports claimed they were accused of spying for Israel”.
On Feb 12, New Delhi said the men had all been released.
“The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India,” it added, thanking Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for the decision “to enable the release and homecoming” of the detainees. AFP