Qatar freezes ruling family member's assets

A member of Qatar's royal family said on Saturday that Qatari authorities have frozen his bank accounts over his role in Doha's crisis with its neighbours.

"The Qatari regime has honoured me by freezing all my bank accounts," Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani tweeted.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar on June 5 over its alleged support of extremism, charges Doha denies.

In August, Sheikh Abdullah met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to mediate on reopening a land border to allow Qatari pilgrims to perform the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah.

It was the first public high-level encounter between the nations since the diplomatic crisis erupted.

Doha was quick to point out that he was in Saudi Arabia on a "personal" mission, not for the government.

"I wish Qatar... to return to its Gulf brothers as there is no one else to count on," he tweeted on Saturday.

"I hope that Qatar will expel opportunists and friends of interests and return to the Gulf embrace," he added.

Al Thani requested a national meeting with him regarding a crisis "which we can no longer remain silent on" last month.

The Qatari royal family member told Al Arabiya at the time that the situation surrounding the crisis was "getting worst" and is "pushing us to a fate we do not want to reach".

Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani is the second son of the late Emir Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani, the grandson of the Emir of Qatar, Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani, and the brother of Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani, who was overthrown by his cousin Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, grandfather of Prince Tamim bin Hamad on February 22, 1972.

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