While serving in the Qatari army reserves, al-Kawari was part of the failed 1996 counter-coup-d’état which aimed to overthrow the recently proclaimed Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and restore his father to the throne(10). This failed attempt resulted in dozens of arrests and death sentences, including the jailing of the Emir’s own cousin, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.[2][3][4][5]