UPDATE | 9:16am

An official in the Social Affairs Ministry says it never issued a permit for Gympanzee, Arabic daily Al Raya reports.

The ministry has licensed some 85 nurseries since taking over licensing duties from the Supreme Education Council “a few years ago,” Gulf Times reports.

Gympanzee opened in 2009, so it unclear whether it operated on a license granted by the SEC.

—

Qatar’s attorney general has ordered the arrest of some five people associated with Monday’s tragedy, including Villaggio mall’s owner and the owner of Gympanzee, QNA reports.

Dr. Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri also ordered that the mall manager, the assistant manager and the assistant director of security be detained as part of the investigation.

The owner of Gympanzee is Iman Al Kuwari, whose father is Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Qatar’s Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage.

When asked by Doha News about her on Tuesday, he said she is “the saddest person on earth.”

According to Villagio’s website, the chairman is Abdul Aziz Mohammed Al-Rabban.

The mall’s manager is Tzoulios Tzouliou and the assistant manager is Rima Itani.

Doha News had received reports that Tzouliou and Itani have been in custody since Monday, but could not confirm them.

The AG has also ordered the seizure of documentation critical to the investigation, including operating licenses.

Credit: Photo by Omar Chatriwala

*This article has been corrected to reflect the accurate spelling of the AG’s name.