DOHA: Two Qatari newspapers scoffed on Wednesday at allegations of Al Arabiya news channel that a Villaggio fire which killed 17 people at a kindergarten was masterminded by Syrian intelligence.
Al Watan said Al Arabiya’s report alleged that the Syrian regime decided on February 18 to target Qatar for destabilization, and that the Syrian intelligence chief had sent a letter to the Syrian ambassador in Doha asking him to set up an operation branch which later had been established and the first of its operations was the Villaggio Mall fire in Doha on May 28 this year.
Al Watan, refuting the allegations said that the Syrian embassy was closed on Feb 8 this year and all its staff had immediately left the country, whereas the Al Arabiya report alleged the Syrian regime took the decision to set up the spying branch on Feb 18, ten days after the embassy’s closure.
The newspaper said the whole report was fabricated and publishing it was unprofessional.
Al Arab, another Qatari newspaper, said the report was astonishing, expressing indignation at Al Arabiya’s adoption of the Syrian intelligence views.
It said the publisher should have contacted the Qatari interior ministry for verification. "The least to say, it was unprofessional to publish the report,’’ the newspaper added.
It noted that the report was apparently meant to exaggerate the Syrian intelligence capabilities, and praised as transparent and professional the Qatari interior ministry’s handling of the incident. (QNA)
