The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has mourned the tragic demise of his younger brother, who was Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
The funeral will be held after the Asr prayers at the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Shaikh Khalifa will receive mourners at Al Mushrif Palace later, official news agency Wam reported.
The Ministry of Presidential Affairs has announced a three-day mourning beginning Wednesday, during which the UAE flag will be flown at half mast.
The courts of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Their Highnesses Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of the Emirates, Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of Sharjah, Shaikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah, Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi of Fujairah, Shaikh Saud bin Rshid Al Mualla of Umm Al Quwain and Shaikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi of Ajman mourned the death of Shaikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Rulers offered condolences to President Shaikh Khalifa, General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and members of the Al Nahyan family.
State television in the UAE interrupted its broadcasts to air recitations from the Holy Quran. “Shaikh Ahmed … is in the care of God,” a banner of Abu Dhabi television said.
The glider of 41-year-old Shaikh Ahmed on Friday crashed over a reservoir near the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah dam, south of Moroccan capital Rabat.
Dozens of divers from various countries — including Morocco, France, Spain, the UAE and the US — took part in rescue efforts in bad conditions rendered worse by rain.
