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Qatar coup rumors leave trail to regional rivals

An apparently doctored video made the rounds on Twitter Monday suggesting a coup was under way in Qatar.
Sep 26, 2019; Doha, Qatar; General overall view of the Doha downtown city center skyline and cityscape and the Doha Bay. Doha is the site of the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports - 13417265

Experts say the rumors circulating on Twitter this week of a failed coup in Qatar bore the hallmarks of an online disinformation campaign linked to the oil-rich peninsula’s regional rivals.

On Monday, an apparently doctored video made the rounds on Twitter suggesting guns were fired in the coastal city of Wakrah amid a coup attempt aimed at the royal family. Fahd bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, the Qatari ambassador to Russia, told the Tass News Agency the videos were “fabricated.”

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