Qatari security recruits female teachers to spy on Egypt

CAIRO – 20 June 2017: Qatar State Security has put a secret plan to collect information about economic, social and political situation in Egypt, according to sources in the Qatari opposition.

"The Qatar State Security recruited most of the Egyptian female teachers who work in educational centers in Doha to collect information during their summer vacation," said opposition leader Ali Abdullah al-Dahnim, former official in Qatari intelligence, on Monday.

Dahnim, who had been in charge of collecting information in the Qatari intelligence before he left the agency five years ago, revealed that a private educational center, owned by Mohamed Khalifa al-Kubaisi, brother of the head of Qatar State Security, is the most recruiting center of female teachers to spy on Egypt.

He added that the spy teachers receive training to collect information secretly and send it via Whatsapp to Doha, pointing out that Qatar depends on women to carry out this task because no one would suspect them.

Youm7 obtained leaked photos from the Qatari Ministry of Labor showing data of some Egyptian citizens who have been approved to work in Qatar with the help of recruitment companies in Cairo. Those companies receive 75% of the Egyptian expats’ salaries and force them to cooperate with Qatari intelligence.

Qatar’s relations with several Arab states have been strained since May 24 over a leaked statement attributed to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, criticizing Gulf foreign policy with Iran, describing it as “unwise”.

The Qatari crisis was escalated when Egypt and a coalition of Arab states in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced a coordinated diplomatic break with Qatar, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The Arab countries, in dispute with Qatar, accused the peninsular country of funding Islamist terrorists, in part, via the Doha-based Al-Jazeera satellite channel.