KUWAIT CITY: An exiled Qatari sheikh once promoted by Saudi Arabia as a possible opposition leader amid a diplomatic dispute with Doha is now in Kuwait, authorities said Wednesday, after he had alleged that the United Arab Emirates was holding him against his will. It’s the latest chapter in Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali 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. Abu Dhabi has denied that, saying he was free to go where he pleased. However, it only added fire to an ongoing dispute that saw the UAE allege this week that Qatari fighter jets “intercepted” two Emirati commercial airliners, something denied by Doha. Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Sheikh Abdullah was in Kuwait and “will undergo health check-ups.” The committee said it confirmed that with the sheikh’s family. Kuwaiti media reported that the sheikh arrived late on Tuesday night to Kuwait City, his flight greeted by an ambulance and a convoy of vehicles that took him to a military hospital. Kuwait’s Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sheikh Abdullah was little-known until the Qatar diplomatic crisis erupted last June, with Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cutting off Doha’s land, sea and air routes. The four Arab nations accuse Qatar of funding extremists and having too-close ties to Iran. Qatar has long denied funding extremists, though it supports Islamist opposition movements that are considered terrorist groups by other countries in the region. It recently restored full diplomatic ties with Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore natural gas field. Sheikh Abdullah’s grandfather, father and brother were rulers of Qatar until a palace coup ousted his branch of the ruling family in 1972. His last position in government was as head of the equestrian and camel racing federation decades ago. Since the crisis, Sheikh Abdullah has held high-profile meetings with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Those meetings came as Riyadh allowed Qatari pilgrims over the border in August for the hajj, a pilgrimage required of every able-bodied Muslim at least once in a lifetime. The Saudis then began suggesting Sheikh Abdullah should rule Qatar as an emir in exile, while Saudi-funded television networks provided him coverage. A quickly created Twitter account in his name amassed hundreds of thousands of followers. Published in Daily Times, January 18th 2018.