MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) – A new pan-Arab news channel backed by a billionaire Saudi prince stopped broadcasting from its home in Bahrain on Monday, just hours after it went on air and carried an interview with a prominent opposition activist.
The Alarab television station said on its official Twitter feed that it halted coverage for “technical and administrative reasons” and hopes to be back on the air soon. It went live on Sunday afternoon.
The unexpected stoppage, apparently on the order of Bahraini authorities, came just hours after Alarab surprised many viewers by featuring Bahraini opposition activist Khalil al-Marzooq as one of its first guests.
Yusuf Mohammed, the media director at Bahrain’s Information Affairs Authority, told the official Bahrain News Agency that the channel would resume broadcasting once necessary procedures were completed. He did not give further details.
Bahraini government officials did not immediately respond to Associated Press requests for comment on the channel’s operations.