As crime rises in Kansas City, Mayor Lucas prepares for trip to Qatar
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As violent crime continues to plague Kansas City, local business leaders are voicing frustration, with unless urgent action is taken.
Meanwhile, Mayor Quinton Lucas is preparing for an international trip to Qatar — a move that has raised eyebrows among some.
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'I'll be part of a Bloomberg kind of crew, it's a set of Mayors and others that will be part of all of that,' the Mayor told FOX4 on Wednesday after we asked him directly about the trip, which had not been publicly disclosed until now.
Multiple sources confirmed to FOX4 that the trip had been planned in advance, but details about the funding are still unknown.
According to sources, the Qatari government is covering the cost of the visit. However, when pressed on this point, the mayor said he wasn't completely certain who was paying.
'This would be Bloomberg foundation, I believe, but I'll have to make sure I get the exact details with us – but that's usually how we work this out,' he said.
Following FOX4's questions, the Mayor's office sent out more details regarding the trip in a news release on Wednesday afternoon.
As has been their practice over the years, the Qatari Embassy in Washington recommended the Mayor's participation based on Kansas City's status as a FIFA World Cup city and is sponsoring this familiarization delegation of mayors from American cities. Mayor Lucas expects to be accompanied by four other U.S. mayors and Jeff Lodermeier, a U.S. State Department local diplomat assigned to Kansas City. The mayor's office consulted the US State Department under both the Biden and Trump administrations prior to planning and agreeing to travel. There will be no cost to Kansas City taxpayers for the Mayor or Mr. Lodermeier's travel.
Office of Mayor Quinton Lucas
Qatar, which hosted the last FIFA World Cup, is a notable international player as Kansas City prepares to be one of the host cities for the 2026 tournament.
Still, no one from the Kansas City Sports Commission or the KC2026 organizing team is expected to join the trip, according to the mayor.
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In response to an inquiry, a spokesperson told FOX4:
'No, no one from the Sports Commission nor KC2026 is headed to Qatar this week. No meetings are scheduled either.'
Instead, this trip is limited to a group of U.S. mayors.
While overseas, the mayor says he plans to meet with Qatar's minister of sport, but emphasized that his main goals are economic development and international exposure for the city.
'The goal is to make business contacts get a chance to share the brand of Kansas City… One we always look to make sure that we have other international connections and contacts. That's an important thing of what we do' he said.
The mayor also revealed he recently met with Qatari officials in Kansas City.
'I actually met with the Qatari ambassador to the United States, I think about a week and a half ago. So, he was here in Kansas City, always looking for different investments,' he said.
However, Qatar's reputation on the international stage is complex.
The Gulf nation has long faced scrutiny over its alleged ties to terrorist organizations.
President Donald Trump, during his first term, accused Qatar of funding terrorism 'at a very high level.' Leaders from Hamas — the group behind the that killed more than 1,000 Israelis — had been based in Doha before being expelled last year.
When asked about these associations, Mayor Lucas dismissed concerns.
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'I don't actually think they're sponsors of terrorism – I think you're getting a little far afield on that,' he said.
The mayor did meet with Wednesday to address concerns around .
This is a developing story. FOX4 will continue to follow updates as they unfold.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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