A Saudi Arabian businessman shockingly collapsed and died while giving a speech at a conference in Egypt.
Muhammad Al-Qahtani was speaking at the Arab-African Conference in Cairo on Monday when he suddenly fell over backward, the New York Post reported.
Abdullah Elshrif, an Egyptian YouTuber, wrote that Al-Qahtani passed away after security took him to another room, News.com.au reported.
The cause of his death is still unknown.
Al-Qahtani’s collapse and death was caught on video and has been widely shared.
WARNING: The following video some viewers may find disturbing.
The?? Saudi ambassador, Muhammad al-Qahtani, fell and died during a speech at a conference in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in which he praised president A-Sisi and described him as “the dean of humanity.#SaudiArabia #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/BSSbqRGCEh
— Steven Thomas (@aNdr0iz) August 9, 2022
Al-Qahtani was a Saudi businessman but was residing in the United Arab Emirates.
Is the video shocking?
He was the chairman of the board of Al-Salam Holding Company and also held a number of positions as a goodwill ambassador, the New York Post reported.
At the Arab-African conference in Egypt, Al-Qahtani was speaking “in support of the achievements of [Egyptian] President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi,” according to the title of his speech, Arabi21 reported.
Reports also outline that he was praising President Mohammed bin Zayed of the Emirates as a “dean of humanity and a man of peace” just before he fell over dead, the Post reported.
The conference was attended by representatives from international and regional Arab organizations.
There were also ambassadors and Arab personalities at the events which were being hosted by the Arab International Anti-Counterfeiting and Counterfeiting Authority of the Council of Arab Economic Unity in the League of Arab States, according to Arabia21.
There has been some confusion over Al-Qahtani’s position and many on social media have mistakenly said that he was the Saudi ambassador.
Though he was a goodwill ambassador, he had no known official role for the government of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi ambassador to Egypt is Osama Naqli, and he is alive and well.
In light of the reports spreading about Al-Qahtani’s death, Naqli even issued a statement confirming that the person in the video collapsing was a businessman and not a Saudi official or diplomat, Misbar reported.