UAE email leak: Yousef al-Otaiba criticises Trump

Emails taken from inbox of Yousef al-Otaiba earlier this week revealed Emirati ambassador played role in campaign to tarnish Qatar's image [Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo]

The latest round of leaked emails of the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the US reveal repeated criticism by the diplomat of US President Donald Trump.

The Huffington Post, the US media outlet that received the latest series of emails, said they showed Yousef al-Otaiba denigrating Trump and others in communications with officials close to then-President Barack Obama.

The Huffington Post said one of the emails showed Otaiba corresponding with Rob Malley, Obama's chief adviser on the Middle East, on election night.

"You got room for me in Abu Dhabi?" Malley wrote to al-Otaiba.

"This isn't funny," the UAE ambassador responded. "How/why is this happen. On what planet can Trump be a president."

READ MORE: Hackers leak emails from UAE ambassador to US

In another exchange from 2016 with Judith Miller, a right-wing US commentator who reportedly sent Otaiba a series of tweets from a Saudi whistle-blower that criticised Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE diplomat said "the 7 minutes I spent reading this was the equivalent of watching 7 minutes of Donald Trump. A waste of my time."

The latest email leak comes after US media reported on Saturday that emails, released by a group called "GlobalLeaks", showed clear collaboration between Otaiba and a pro-Israel think-tank in an attempt to discredit Qatar.

Otaiba is a well-known figure in US national security circles - he has been called "the most charming man in Washington" - and has participated in Pentagon strategy meetings at the invitation of defence officials.

Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi said those behind the leak told Huffington post that "their intention is to reveal the 'two-faced nature' of Emirati foreign policy".

He added that "from these emails it would appear that the ambassador to Washington doesn't have a very high opinion of Trump".

READ MORE: All the latest updates on the Qatar diplomatic crisis

Huffington Post reporter Akbar Ahmed told Al Jazeera the emails "certainly shows a high level of UAE scepticism over Qatar".

Ahmed added that the emails also reveal that the "prime focus" of UAE officials in public "is Iran or the Muslim Brotherhood", but "it seems that a prime focus of these messages has been about neighbouring state Qatar".

He said this showed the UAE's "influence, their access and the kind of agenda they're pushing".

US and UAE officials have not commented on the recent leak.

On Monday, the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen and the Maldives cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar, a move Qatar's foreign ministry called "unjustified" and "based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact".

The dispute between Qatar and the Gulf's Arab countries escalated after a recent hack of Qatar's state-run news agency. It has spiralled since.

READ MORE - Qatar: Decision to cut ties violates our sovereignty

Following the hack, comments falsely attributed to Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, were published.

Qatar's government categorically denied that the comments.

"There are international laws governing such crimes, especially the cyberattack. [The hackers] will be prosecuted according to the law," Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

UAE-based Sky News Arabia and Al Arabiya kept running the discredited story, despite the Qatari denials.

US mayors back Sadiq Khan in Donald Trump Twitter row

US mayors have backed Sadiq Khan as he leads London in the aftermath of Saturday's terrorist attack while being criticised on Twitter by Donald Trump.

The US Conference of Mayors, which represents leaders of more than 1,400 cities, said it stood "united with Mayor Sadiq Khan of London and the people of London" following the attack.

They said of Mr Khan: "He has risen above this crisis of death and destruction, as mayors continue to do, to alleviate fear, to bring comfort to his people of London and to give support to the first responders who continue to protect, defend and provide emergency care to his people of London.

"Thank you, Mayor Khan, for your leadership during this crisis."

New York City's mayor Bill de Blasio had already made his feelings known on Twitter, writing: "Mayor Sadiq Khan is doing an extraordinary job supporting Londoners in a time of pain. President Trump's attack on him is unacceptable."

At least seven people were killed and dozens injured after three terrorists drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and then got out to stab people.

Image:Donald Trump wrote a number of ill-judged tweets after the London attack

In the hours after the attack, US President Mr Trump tweeted to his 31.6 million followers using it as a reason to push his travel ban on visitors and refugees from six mainly Muslim countries; offer support to London; call for the end of "political correctness"; bring guns into the debate and finally to twist Mr Khan's words and to criticise him.

Mr Khan's spokesperson had described the first round of presidential tweets as "ill-informed" - and said they had deliberately taken the mayor's remarks out of context.

Mr Trump hit back, however, tweeting: "Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM (mainstream media) is working hard to sell it!"

Staff of previous president Barack Obama were among those who tweeted their disgust.

Ben Rhodes, a former national security aide to Mr Obama, wrote: "To my friends in the UK: I apologise for this."

Jon Favreau, Mr Obama's top speech writer, wrote of Mr Trump's second Khan-related tweet: "This is the most disgusting lie and he is just an awful human being."

Lewis Lukens, the acting US ambassador to the UK (a permanent one has yet to be confirmed) tweeted: "I commend the strong leadership of the Mayor of London as he leads the city forward after this heinous attack."

Mr Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, however, blamed the media for putting "spin" on the issue.

She said: "I don't see that the president is picking a fight with the mayor of London at all."

Melbourne shooting and siege may be terrorism

Police in Australia say they are treating a shooting and two-hour siege in Melbourne as terrorism after Islamic State said it had inspired the attack.

Yacqub Khayre, 29, killed a man in the foyer of an apartment block in the beach suburb of Brighton on Monday evening.

He then took an escort girl hostage, calling police to say he would hurt her if they intervened.

Police attempted to negotiate with Khayre before he came out of the building shooting at police.

They shot him dead.

The hostage escaped without injury but three police officers were injured in the shooting, although their wounds were not life-threatening.

Khayre, from Somalia, had made statements "around al Qaeda", also calling a local television station reportedly saying "This is for IS, this is for al Qaeda", police said.

Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton was sceptical of IS claims of responsibility, saying that the terrorist group "always tend to jump up and claim responsibility every time something happens".

He said: "We're not seeing anything indicating that he's got some message from overseas to do this at all but, again, early days.

"We've got material that's seized. We'll go through that and work it out."

Khayre was acquitted of plotting a terror attack at a Sydney army base in 2010, police said.

Khayre had also served jail sentences for arson and violent crimes which were not related to terrorism.

He was released on parole in November.

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he would speak with state leaders about changing state laws so that dangerous criminals were not released early on parole.

He said: "There have been too many cases of people on parole committing violent offences of this kind."

Australian authorities say they have prevented 12 attacks in the country since September 2014, charging more than 60 people with related crimes.

Met Police defend dropping inquiry into London attacker Khuram Shazad Butt

Counter-terror agencies are under the spotlight after it emerged one of the London attackers was known to security services.

Khuram Shazad Butt was investigated in 2015, but officers insisted there was no evidence to suggest an attack was being planned.

He was therefore "prioritised in the lower echelons of our investigative work," police said.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley defended the actions of the security services.

"At any one time MI5 and police are conducting around 500 active investigations, involving 3,000 subjects of interest.

"Additionally, there are around 20,000 individuals who are former subjects of interest, whose risk remains subject to review by MI5 and its partners."

Meanwhile, the chairman of the mosque where one of the London attackers worshipped has told of his shock.

Sunawar Ali said that he remembered Rachid Redouane as "quiet" and "gentle".

Mr Ali said he had last seen Redouane about two weeks ago but he did not speak to him, nor did he see anyone else speak to him.

Redouane has been named by police along with Khuram Shazad Butt as two of the three terrorists responsible for killing seven people and injuring more than 40 in the London Bridge area on Saturday night.

Image:Sunawar Ali with a picture of London attacker Rachid Redouane

He told Sky News that Redouane was "quiet ... hasn't made any problems".

:: LIVE BLOG: Latest from London terror attack

When he was told Redouane, 30, had been involved in the terror attack, he said: "Wow, I feel very sad but I don't believe how this happened.

"I've got no clue why and how so really I'm shocked now.

"This sort of thing... security should be updated if this is the fact."

:: Anti-terror barriers installed on three key London bridges

Redouane claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan but was also known to have lived in Ireland for 18 months until last year.

The third attacker is yet to be publicly named by police and officers have appealed for people with information about the three men to come forward, especially anyone who can help piece together their movement in the days and hours leading up to the attack.

As well as using a van and knives in their murderous spree, the men are also believed to have had a stock of at least a dozen Molotov cocktails in the back of that van.

:: US mayors back Sadiq Khan in Donald Trump Twitter row

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Officers discovered what appeared to be bottles filled with a colourless

liquid with rags coming out of the top, they clearly appeared to be Molotov cocktails."

Police confirmed that 12 people arrested on Sunday in connection with the attack have now been released without charge. They had detained seven men and five women and have also searched six properties as part of their investigation.

A raid was carried out by Metropolitan Police officers at a property in Ilford, East London, on Tuesday in connection with the London Bridge attack.

Of the 48 people taken to hospital with injuries from the attack, 36 are still receiving treatment, with 18 of those in a critical condition.







Police are still working to advise the families of those killed, something which is taking longer than usual as some are from overseas.

The second victim to be named is James McMullan, 32, from Hackney, His sister Melissa McMullan described him as an "inspiration" and a "unique personality".

Canadian Christine Archibald, 30, died in her fiance's arms after being struck by the attackers' speeding van on London Bridge.

A French national has also been confirmed as having been killed but this person has not yet been publicly named.

Among those still missing are a Spanish national and an Australian.

US government contractor arrested after NSA leak report

A US government contractor has been arrested on suspicion of leaking top-secret information to a news outlet.

Reality Leigh Winner, 25, allegedly removed classified material from a government facility in the US state of Georgia.

The charges were announced shortly after the Intercept published a National Security Agency briefing about alleged Russian political meddling.

The Trump administration has been railing against leaks to the media.

Ms Winner was arrested on 3 June, the justice department said.
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Putin: Patriotic Russians may be hacking

She is a contractor with Pluribus International Corporation and had been employed at an NSA facility in Georgia since February, reports NBC News.

The accused faces a count of "gathering, transmitting or losing defence information", according to the network.

The Intercept's leaked document alleges Moscow's military intelligence services attempted cyber-attacks on at least one US voting software supplier days before last November's US presidential election.

It also accuses them of sending spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials.

However, there is no suggestion in the document that the hackers were successful.

The NSA file in question was apparently marked for declassification not before May 2042.

Russia: The scandal Trump can't shake

American intelligence agencies have accused the Kremlin of trying to interfere in the election to ensure Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton.

Several congressional committees and the FBI are investigating the matter.

The president has repeatedly dismissed the story as "fake news", arguing that the real scandal is how the allegations are being leaked to the media.

Ms Winner's arrest is the latest possible leak involving an NSA contractor.

Edward Snowden disclosed secret documents about US surveillance programmes in 2013 to journalists, including The Intercept's co-founding editor, Glenn Greenwald.

President Trump will not claim Executive Privilege to Block Former FBI Director James Comey

President Trump will not claim executive privilege to block former FBI Director James Comey from testifying before Congress later this week, the White House confirmed on Monday.

At the daily White House press briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the president wants a “thorough investigation of facts,” in reference to Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee this Thursday.

“The president’s power to assert executive privilege is very well-established. However, in order to facilitate a swift and thorough examination of the facts sought by the Senate Intelligence Committee, President Trump will not assert executive privilege regarding James Comey’s scheduled testimony,” Huckabee Sanders said, reading a statement on the matter to reporters on Monday.

The statement marked the first firm answer from the administration on whether the president would use his executive privilege, a legal doctrine that allows the president to withhold information from other government branches

Widow denies Russian tycoon Alexander Perepilichnyy was poisoned

The widow of a wealthy Russian whistle-blower who died while out running has denied he was secretly killed.

Speaking at an inquest into the death of Alexander Perepilichnyy, Tatiana Perepilichnaya said her businessman husband had never feared for his life.

She said suggestions the pair moved to England because he owed people a lot of money were false.

Mr Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died while out jogging near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012. He is suspected of being poisoned by sorrel soup.

His death was originally attributed to natural causes, but traces of a chemical that can be found in the poisonous plant Gelsemium elegans were later found in his stomach.

Mr Perepilichnyy had been helping a specialist investment firm uncover a $230m (£150m) Russian money-laundering operation.

His name appeared on a "hit list" in Moscow and he had taken out million of pounds in life insurance policies, the court heard.

Image:The road on the estate in Weybridge where Mr Perepilichnyy collapsed

Speaking at the Old Bailey on Monday behind a screen, Ms Perepilichnaya denied her husband fell out with an "organised crime syndicate".

She said: "I know if there were any threats or problems Alexander would have told me."

She also described how she made the sorrel soup on the day her husband died. She said she cooked it with her daughter using boiled chicken, onions and carrot.

She said both her and her daughter tasted the soup while cooking it and then finished it later in the day.

She added that she was unaware of a man taking out an advert in Russia in 2011, accusing her husband of cheating him out of "a lot of money".

She denied knowing about any fraud allegations, adding: "I only have time to do house chores."

Ms Perepilichnaya said her "workaholic" husband had never discussed with her losing a large amount of money he had invested for Russians, nor any worry about being arrested in his home country.

She told the inquest that their family "liked England very much" and moved to the UK because "people are kind, polite and smile at you."

Surrey Police testified that an investigation had concluded there was no basis to conclude Mr Perepilichnaya was murdered.

Peter Skelton QC, counsel for the coroner, also told the court that requests had been made for any information held by MI5 and MI6 into the deceased.

He said the Government had taken a "generous approach" in its reply to the coroner although it had led to a public interest immunity application to keep some "sensitive" information secret.

The inquest continues.