A criminal court in Qatar has found a man guilty of shooting and wounding three officers after storming a police station southwest of Al Rayyan with an automatic rifle.

This morning, a judge sentenced Fahad Abdullah Jasim Al Thani to seven years in jail for violent assault and injuring police officers, among other charges.

He was also ordered to pay a QR50,000 fine. The judge also ruled that the police officers involved could file civil suits for their injuries.

Al Thani has been in prison since the incident took place earlier this year, and has refused to come to court during his hearings.

The incident came months after reports of another shooting on the under-construction orbital expressway, which sparked questions about gun usage in Qatar.

What happened

According to witnesses who testified at previous court sessions, Al Thani had gone to the police station seeking the release of two of his sons who had been taken in for questioning for harassing construction workers.

Taking the stand in September, a Lekhwiya officer said he saw the defendant standing inside the entrance of a police station off of Salwa Road, pointing his gun and yelling, “I want my children!”

The situation escalated, resulting in gunfire that injured three officers.

Eventually, Al Thani and two of his sons left the police building and drove away at a “very high speed,” the Lekhwiya witness said.

They were pursued by officers and engaged in a gunfight before being taken into custody. The sons were not charged.

Thoughts?