Bahrain’s champion bodybuilder arrested by Qatari forces during a fishing cruise

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Qatari authorities have detained Bahrain’s world champion bodybuilder Sami Al-Haddad, who was on a fishing cruise, said an AlAyam report. The report, accusing Qatar of holding systematic campaign against Bahraini sailors, described the incident as a clear breach of the Gulf Peace agreement concluded at Al Ula Summit.

Sami Al-Haddad, the Lion of Bahrain, is well-known to be the first Mr Olympia amateur winner and world champion overall winner in 2011. He is a talented bodybuilder and spectacular personal coach. He is an IFBB PRO bodybuilder from Bahrain and owner of BlacksmithGym.

The leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council had signed a normalisation deal with Qatar ending long-standing disputes. Recently, Qatar also falsely claimed in a letter to the UN that four Bahraini fighter jets violated its airspace.

Rejecting the claims, Bahrain Foreign Ministry had said that on that date, four F-16s, two of Bahrain’s and two from the US, were on a military drill in the designated military exercise area in Saudi Arabia’s airspace.

After the exercises, the planes headed back to Bahrain, crossing Saudi Arabia to land at Isa Air Base. The ministry also affirmed that the aircraft did not fly through Qatari airspace. “The Royal Bahraini Air Force fighters always professionally perform their sorties, making sure not to penetrate the borders of other countries.”

Meanwhile, in another development, Bahrain Professional Fishermen’s Society, Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, Bahrain Journalists Association and other independent human rights advocates, hailed the royal directives to compensate Bahraini sailors affected by the Qatari abusive practices.

They commended the decision of the Cabinet, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, directing competent authorities to assess the damage, disburse compensation and protect fishermen’s rights.

The participants said the Qatari practices against Bahrain’s sailors must stop immediately, calling for the release of the Bahraini sailors.