A terrorist attack in the Qatari capital served as a wakeup call to Gulf Sheikhdoms that a new upsurge of violence is on the cards, reports Sherine Bahaa The car bomb blast on Saturday was the first terrorist attack in the tiny oil-rich emirate and, judging from previous attacks in the region, it might not necessarily be the last. The weather that evening was unusually fair, and while one of Shakespeare's most comic dramas Twelfth Night was being performed in the theatre of the British school in Doha, a booby-trapped car blew up, killing one Briton and wounding dozens of others. In the Western friendly country, the blast served as a wakeup call not only to the country's security apparatus but also to the sizable expatriate community living there. Shortly after the attack, expat Iain Macdonald told the BBC News website : "I have to seriously reconsider signing a new contract to work out here now that the arm of terror has gripped this small, friendly and generally benign country." Qatar, host to the US Central Command that directed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, depends to a large extent on Westerners in the running of its vital oil and gas industry. Qatari politics, which has always been a source of controversy among its Gulf tiny emirates and sheikhdoms, has largely depended on the presence of Westerners for security and stability within its borders. Back and forth visits between officials from Qatar and Israel have been a further source of resentment among its neighbouring emirates. While the attack was, for these reasons, not surprising, it was its timing and target that made it so appalling. The existence of sleeping terrorist cells has been no secret but the question remains: who is next? Ever since the 9/11 bombings of the World Trade Centre in New York, Al-Qaeda operatives have been very skilful in changing their frontline whenever they have found themselves boxed in. With tight security measures adopted in Saudi Arabia following a spate of attacks which began in May 2003 and which left 220 murdered, and an exchange of deadly shootouts with Islamist dissidents earlier this year in Kuwait, Qatar might provide fertile ground for attacks in the future. Despite the fact that the attack coincided with the second anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq and with anti-US sentiments running high, it is still unclear whether the two events were linked. According to Najeeb Al-Nuaimi, a prominent Qatari lawyer, the majority of Qataris -- including himself -- sympathise with Islamic fundamentalist movements. But the bombing of a theatre packed with innocent civilians next to a school "will make us change our mind". Al-Nuaimi recalled an incident in 2001 when a Qatari man fired a Kalashinkov at a US base and was killed. "We called him a martyr, people said he will go to heaven." But Saturday's attack was different. "As for the guy who died in front of the school, he will go to hell." Al-Nuaimi pointed out that the bombing was "a strong message addressed to Qatar to change its foreign policy". In fact, pointing fingers at Al-Qaeda has been only natural, especially in light of the recent spat of warnings, the latest of which was only a couple of days before the attack. The warning was delivered through a recording attributed to Al-Qaeda's Saudi chief Saleh Al-Oufi and posted on an Islamist website calling on the brethern in Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries neighbouring Iraq to strike at "crusader" targets in their territories. So far, the one and only suspect is an Egyptian engineer who was identified by the authorities as Ahmed Abdallah Ali. However, Ali's family have vehemently denied the allegations, describing him as a "devout Muslim and a man of integrity". Ali, 38, had worked as a computer programmer for Qatar Petroleum and had been living in Qatar since 1990. The only evidence available with the Qatari authorities was the alleged black landcruiser used in the assault. Ali's family, still in total shock, insist on ruling out their son's involvement, suggesting that the bomb "could have easily been placed in the car without him knowing. It is not enough proof. He is a respectable man who has been living in Qatar for 15 years so why should he do it," asked his mother who was interviewed by Al-Ahram daily a day after the attack. On Tuesday, an unknown group claimed responsibility for the attack with vows to hit churches and "crusader" military bases in the region. "We claim responsibility for the historic Qatar operation, carried out by a lion of the Army of the Levant," they announced in a statement posted on a website used by Islamists. "The Qatar operation is the beginning," it added. However, the authenticity of the statement could not be confirmed and London- based Islamist activists have cast doubt on it. "So far I do not think it is serious," Islamist Yasser El-Sirri told Reuters, adding that the statement did not have the Islamist formulations often used by militant groups. Whether carried out by Al-Qaeda or any of its sleeping cells, a terrorist campaign is likely to badly shake confidence in the small rich state.
