Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan (national security advisor)

Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the son of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and currently serves as the National Security Advisor of UAE.[1] He has previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor in 2013.[2][3]

"TbZ" redirects here. For other uses of the initials TBZ, see TBZ.
In this Arabic name, the surname is Al Bala.

Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan
National Security Advisor of UAE (more)
Born (1971-12-04) 4 December 1971
United Arab Emirates
Full name
Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Arabicطحنون بن زايد آل نهيان
HouseAl Nahyan
FatherSheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
MotherSheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi

Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed is the half brother of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is the full brother of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's foreign minister.

Deputy National Security Advisor (2013-2016)

The President, of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a federal decree on March 19, 2013, appointing Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the Deputy National Security Advisor with a rank of minister.[4]

National Security Advisor (2016-Present)

The President of UAE, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a federal decree on February 14, 2016, appointing Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the National Security Advisor for the Emirates. Under the decree, Sheikh Tahnoun was to report directly to the Chairman of the Supreme Council for National Security.[5]

Sheikh Tahnoun received Yossi Cohen, the Head of Israeli Intelligence Agency, Mossad on 18 August 2020, after the success of the UAE-Israel peace accord.[6]

Controversies

Violation of Sanctions

On August 16, 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported about the administration led by US President Donald Trump of imposing several sanctions against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, targeting financial-support networks aiding the President from outside the country, to coerce Damascus into peace talks. According to financial records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Sheikh Tahnoun deposited about $200,000 into the bank accounts held by the niece of Syrian President Assad, Aniseh Shawkat, over a period of several years as her sponsor. The UK authorities seized several of these bank accounts in 2019, claiming that hundreds of thousands of dollars deposited in the accounts of Ms Aniseh helped circumvent European Union’s sanctions against the Syrian regime funds. Sheikh Tahnoun, Aniseh Shawkat and her attorney Zubair Ahmad did not respond when reached out for comment.[7]

Project Raven

The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States was condemned for spying all nations in the Arab world and Middle East region, except the UAE, despite the Gulf nation having hired former CIA officials for its Project Raven to spy on political targets, including several American in 2014. Sheikh Tahnoun was the Deputy National Security Advisor to UAE back then.[8]

Multiple ex-CIA officials have told Reuters that the agency does not gather "human intelligence" from UAE informant because it shares common enemies with the United States. Retired CIA official Norman Roule defended the US for not spying on the Emirates stating that the actions committed by Abu Dhabi have "contributed to the war on terror, particularly against al-Queda [Qaeda] in Yemen. " The foreign policy of UAE has been in control of the Sheikh Tahnoun's elder brother and Abu Dhabi crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed, whose son, Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed heads the country's internal surveillance network.[9]

Sporting Interests

Sheikh Tahnoun is an avid practitioner and patron of martial arts, especially Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[10]

References
  1. "SOMALIA : Clash of Turkish and Qatari interests in Mogadishu - Issue 1511 dated 13/12/2019". The Indian Ocean Newsletter. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  2. "News". uaecabinet.ae. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  3. (Wam). "President appoints Tahnoun bin Zayed as Deputy National Security Adviser". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  4. "UAE President Appoints Tahnoun bin Zayed as Deputy National Security Advisor". The Supreme Council for National Security. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  5. "President names Tahnoun bin Zayed as National Security Advisor". UAE Cabinet. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  6. "UAE's National Security Advisor receives Head of Mossad". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. "Trump Administration Eyes New Phase of Syria Sanctions". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  8. "Inside the UAE's secret hacking team of American mercenaries". Reuters. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  9. "Why the CIA doesn't spy on the UAE". Reuters. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  10. BJJEE (4 September 2019). "The Black Belt Sheikh: The Incredible Journey of Tahnoon the Godfather of Jiu-Jitsu". Bjj Eastern Europe. Retrieved 5 January 2020.


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