British counterterrorism officers have dropped an investigation into allegations of threats and intimidation against Syrian refugees who accused Qatar of financing terrorism.
Four Syrians lodged a case for damages at London's High Court against Qatar's Doha Bank and businessmen brothers Moutaz and Ramez Al Khayyat.
It is alleged the brothers used Doha Bank accounts to channel money to the Al Nusra Front, an Al Qaeda affiliate.
The Syrians said they suffered “severe physical and psychiatric injuries” at the hands of the terrorist group.
Last year, a report was made to Scotland Yard accusing Qatar of perverting the course of justice and witness intimidation related to funding terrorism.
The court previously heard that people connected with the case had their cars bugged, were threatened in their homes and were offered bribes to reveal the names of the claimants who were granted anonymity by the court.
Eight refugees brought the case but four withdrew last year claiming they were in “fear of their lives”.
Scotland Yard confirmed it received reports of intimidation last November but is not continuing the case.
"On 9 November, 2020, we received allegations relating to terrorism funding, perverting the course of justice and witness intimidation," a Metropolitan Police representative told The National.
"A scoping exercise into the allegations was carried out by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, the result of which is that the Met will not be instigating an investigation into these allegations at this time.
“Should any further information come to light in relation to the allegations, then this will be considered and reviewed as to whether any further scoping of these allegations would be required.”
Ben Emmerson, QC for the claimants, told the court on Monday the police had opened a report into the threats made to the claimants, but a full investigation would not be carried out.
He said the Met Police had recorded a crime report based on evidence “to support the allegation of a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice".
But counterterrorism officers would not be carrying out "a full investigation" because it would "represent a disproportionate and unreasonable use of finite police resources" as some of the alleged offences were committed overseas and some of the witnesses live in the Netherlands, he said.
A police source told The National the force had been in contact with the claimant's legal team and their response had been referenced in court.
On Monday, Doha Bank asked the court to dismiss some of the allegations against the state, including intimidation and attempted bribing of witnesses, prior to a hearing in October to determine whether the case should be heard in the UK or in Qatar.
Mr Justice Chamberlain told the bank he would consider their request and make a decision at a later date.
A spokesman for the Al Khayyat brothers told The National that they deny the "bizarre and baseless allegations".
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LAST-16 FIXTURES
Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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if you go
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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