US Politics | Mystery as Brit travel exec, 52, found hanged in Qatar ‘after being tortured by secret police’ while promoting World Cup

A BRITISH travel executive was mysteriously found hanged in Qatar after telling friends he had been tortured by the country's secret police. Marc Bennett, 52, had been headhunted to boost Qatar...s tourism industry ahead of the World Cup before dying in unexplained circumstances. Marc Bennett said he had been tortured by secret police in Qatar weeks before his death The 52-year-old was found hanged at the Curve Hotel in Doha He resigned from the post with Discover Qatar, part of Qatar Airways, in October 2019 and was accused of sending ...highly confidential documents... to an external email address. Mr Bennett was arrested at the offices of his employer and taken away blindfolded and in handcuffs. He later told how he was held for three weeks after being stripped of his clothes, hit against walls, blasted with high-pressure hoses and subjected to sleep deprivation techniques. According to one of Mr Bennett's former colleagues, his resignation had been viewed as a ...massive insult..., reports The Times. More world news GAS CHAOS Fourth Nord Stream gas leak discovered off Sweden after 'premeditated bomb blast' BOAT HORROR Haunting moment tourists scream as boat fills with water & sinks killing four Lawyers from the United Nations said there have been ...credible allegations... of ill-treatment where Mr Bennett was detained. Ten weeks after his arrest, Mr Bennett \- a former director at Tui and Thomas Cook \- was found hanged at the Curve Hotel in Doha on Christmas Day 2019. Qatari authorities ruled his death as suicide, but a coroner in the UK ruled there was ...no specific evidence of suicidal intent.... The Brit coroner added that the ...circumstances of the months leading up to his death remain unclear.... Most read in The US Sun QUICK TRIP Inside supersonic plane that will fly from London to NY in 80 minutes STORM TRAGEDY Hundreds feared dead after Hurricane Ian hits Florida, sheriff says LEGEND GONE Coolio dead at 59 with rapper's cause of death unknown following collapse NEW DETAILS New court date set in Lily Peters, 10, case after cousin accused of murder ELON PHONE HOME Incredible snaps show light blazes caused by Elon Musk's SpaceX firm NEWSMAN MOURNED Longtime CBS News correspondent dead after 50-year career at TV network He did not leave a suicide note and the night before he died he had been ...laughing and joking... on a video call with his wife and kids. Nancy Bennett, Mr Bennett's widow, told The Times: "There are so many questions. He left here with the whole world ahead of him." Mr Bennett's case was closed last September, a week after now Prime Minister Liz Truss became foreign secretary \- despite being aware of concerns from the coroner and his family. The following month, Ms Truss visited Qatar in a bid to start a ...strategic dialogue... with the country and better cooperation on security, development, trade and investment. Mr Bennett moved to Qatar in 2012 to work for Emirates and Dubai Tourism. He then became senior vice-president of Discover Qatar, a Qatar Airways subsidiary, in 2017 \- reportedly working closely with Akbar al-Baker, the airline's chief executive. His role was to modernise the country's tourism sector ahead of the World Cup, which kicks off in November and will see 1.2million visitors enter Qatar. Qatar Airways told The Times he had been reported to police shortly after his resignation after it found he had been sending ...highly confidential documents... to a private email address. The country's authorities did not respond to The Times. A Foreign Office told The Sun Online: "We provided consular support to Marc's family and raised his case with the Qatari authorities, urging them to thoroughly investigate these serious allegations." You're Not Alone EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide. It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society \- from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858 Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123 Movember, www.uk.movember.com Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm  

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