Al Arabiya reported that it gained access to a sworn deposition by Kuwait-born Canadian businessman Alan Bender as he was testifying via video link from Toronto to Florida in the case against Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani.
Al-Thani, part of the Qatari royal family – the Qatari Emir’s brother – has been charged with allegedly soliciting his American security guard to murder two people and hold another American captive. The authenticity of Bender’s deposition was confirmed by the plantiffs’ attorney, Al Arabiya added.
Bender, who said that that he has close ties with top figures across the Middle East, including Qatar, said that he met with three senior Qatar officials, including Qatar’s Secretary to the Emir for Security Affairs.
The three officials told him that Omar was the “jewel in the crown” of Qatari assets and that Qatar had recruited her even before she ever thought about running for office, grooming her and laying the ground for her to get into politics, including financing her campaign. Once elected as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota, Omar passed sensitive information to Qatar which was subsequently passed to Iran. Furthermore, Omar is active in recruiting other American politicians to work for Qatar, Bender’s deposition said.
“If it wasn’t for our cash, Ilhan Omar would be just another black Somali refugee in America collecting welfare and serving tables on weekends,” the three officials told Bender.
Bender also told the Florida court that when Omar met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2017, she swore allegiance to him. Erdogan is a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, as is Qatar.