The foreign ministry of India announced on Monday (12) that Qatar had released eight former navy veterans, whom it had previously detained and sentenced to death, reportedly on charges of spying for Israel.
The foreign ministry has not given details on the eight Indian nationals or their alleged crimes, and Qatar has not commented on the case or 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, India said it was "shocked" after a Qatari court had 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 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 Monday, 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)
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)