Egypt calls for probe into Qatar ransom payment

New York - Qatar has denied trying to pay ransom money to secure the release of 26 Qataris

Egypt on Thursday called for the United Nations Security Council to launch an investigation into accusations that Qatar paid a ransom of up to $1 billion to a terrorist group active in Iraq" to release kidnapped members of its royal family.

"This violation of the Security Council resolutions, if proved correct, shall definitely have a negative bearing on counter-terrorism efforts on the ground," senior Egyptian UN diplomat Ihab Moustafa Awad Moustafa told the council.

Qatar has denied trying to pay ransom money to secure the release of 26 Qataris, including members of the country's ruling royal family, abducted in Iraq by unidentified gunmen. - Reuters

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