Draft:UAE-orchestrated smear scandal in Europe

The UAE-orchestrated smear scandal in Europe refers to a series of confidential documents that indicated the United Arab Emirates was responsible for smear campaigns targeting individuals and organizations in Europe. The 78,000 confidential documents revealed by Mediapart showed that the UAE employed Alp Services, a Geneva-based company, to target individuals and organizations believed to have affiliations with Qatar or the Muslim Brotherhood in various locations throughout Europe.

Mechanism
Between 2017 and 2020, UAE officials supervised the company Alp Services in locating and gathering information on individuals and organizations believed to have connections or associations with Qatar or the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. The Geneva-based company conducted extensive research, including into individuals such as politicians, lawyers, human rights organizations and activists, businesspersons, researchers, Muslim associations, and humanitarian or charitable NGOs. As a result, Alp Services compiled a list of over 1000 names, along with corresponding addresses and, in some cases, mobile phone numbers of individuals residing in 18 European countries, including Switzerland, France, Belgium, England, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Austria. France was among the most targeted countries, with 191 individuals and 125 organizations.

This significant and diverse data were presented to the Abu Dhabi Secret Service in the form of infographics. Subsequently, Alp Services embarked on discrediting the "enemies of the Emirates" by disseminating offensive information covertly and extensively, in an effort to influence public opinion and decision-makers in Europe. Upon preparing the targets, UAE officials could request services from the company to attack specific targets, costing between €20,000 and €50,000 per target.

The strategy employed focused on launching press campaigns and publishing articles through fake authors. Moreover, modifications were made to Wikipedia pages to manipulate information, and in certain cases, banks were convinced to close the accounts of the targeted individuals or organizations, which ultimately led to their bankruptcy. The documents also alleged that espionage operations included the monitoring and photographing of certain targets.

Payment method
Leaked documents indicate that Alp Services received over 5.7 million euros between 2017 and 2020 through an Emirati research center called "Al-Aryaf," ostensibly serving as a cover for Emirati intelligence services.

Prominent targets
According to the Mediapart leaks, there were notable figures among the targets list such as Zakia Khattabi, Belgium's federal minister for environment and sustainability, Benoît Hamon, the former candidate for the French presidential elections, Samia Ghali, assistant mayor of Marseille and former senator, writer and director Rokhaya Diallo, and the CNRS, the French public body responsible for scientific research. The list also included the Alkarama foundation for Human Rights, Pascal Gemberly, secretary general of the Vaudois Union of Muslim Associations (UVAM), Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), and businessman Hazem Nada.

Official response
While the Alp services said that the leaked documents were stolen and partly falsified, UAE government declined to comment on the allegations. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for overseeing private security companies operating in Switzerland, stated that they had not received any reports where a foreign state was identified as the main or ultimate beneficiary.