Attempt in Crime 
In Light of Law No. 11 of 2004

Attempt, in general, is a specific model of a crime in which the outcome differs or the behavior is incomplete in reaching the outcome the perpetrator intended to achieve, when the failure to achieve that outcome is due to an involuntary cause. In this model, the perpetrator has made significant progress towards completing the crime, but completion did not occur due to factors beyond their control.

Accordingly, the Qatari legislator defines attempt in Article 28 of the Penal Code No. 11 of 2004, which states: “Attempt is the initiation of an act with the intent to commit a felony or misdemeanor if it is interrupted or fails due to a cause unrelated to the actor’s will. Mere intent to commit a felony or misdemeanor or preparatory acts do not constitute an attempt unless the law provides otherwise.”

Hence, the crime of attempt is based on three main elements, as outlined in Article 28 of the Penal Code:

– **Commencement of Execution:** There is no room for an attempt in a crime unless the perpetrator has progressed along the path of the crime to a point where it can be said they have begun executing it.

– **Criminal Intent:** Criminal intent (the mental element) is the second element assumed by the attempt, explicitly mentioned in Article 28 of the Penal Code. It requires that the perpetrator acted with the intent to commit a specific felony or misdemeanor in its complete form.

– **Incompletion of the Crime Due to Unintentional Reasons:** The legal model of the crime of attempt assumes not only the non-occurrence of the criminal outcome the perpetrator sought but also that the non-occurrence is due to reasons beyond their control.

Finally, the scope of punishment for an attempt is determined either by the provisions related to criminalization concerning attempts or by considerations related to the nature of the crime itself.