Rabat, Asharq Al-Awsat – The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, sent a message of condolence to the President of the UAE and Emir of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, following the news of the death of his younger brother Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

An atmosphere of grief and sadness gripped the UAE yesterday following the news that the body of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed had been recovered by rescue teams in Morocco, after his glider crashed into a reservoir 10km south of the Moroccan capital of Rabat on Friday. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed was the Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed paid tribute to his younger brother, and the UAE has announced three official days of mourning in honour of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed.

An official Moroccan source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that a US rescue team using special technology led to the recovery of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed’s body, which was immediately transferred to Sheikh Zayed hospital in Rabat by ambulance.

The Moroccan official, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, said that the US rescue team used sophisticated camera equipment to locate Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed’s body.