Three days of mourning for deposed Qatar leader

Doha: Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, the former emir of the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar who was deposed by his son in a bloodless palace coup, has died.

The emiri diwan, or royal court, announced the death on Sunday of the 84-year-old former ruler.

State TV quickly cut from its regular programming, airing Quranic recitations late into the night.

The current emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the deceased ruler’s grandson, declared three days of mourning in the energy-rich nation, which juts into the Persian Gulf off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia and will host the 2022 soccer World Cup.

Sheikh Khalifa had not held power since 1995, when he was deposed by his son Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani while vacationing in Switzerland.

Sheikh Hamad, then defence minister, said at the time that seizing power was necessary because of unspecified “difficult circumstances” and internal issues.

Sheikh Khalifa’s son had long been seen as the real power in the Opec member nation in the years before he was overthrown, making the surprise move in many ways little more than a formality.

The ousted ruler himself had come to power by dethroning his cousin 23 years earlier.

Although Sheikh Khalifa vowed to return to power after his ouster “whatever the cost”, he spent the next several years living in Europe and would not return to his homeland until 2004. He kept a low profile until his death.