Sheikh Saif joins Twitter to announce birth of his son

Thousands quickly followed Sheikh Saif bin Zayed on Twitter when news broke that he joined the social media service to announce the birth of his fourth child.

Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, has joined Twitter on the morning of February 26, 2014 and had more than 19,000 followers by 3pm that day. Courtesy Security MediaShow less

ABU DHABI // The birth of his fourth child has been a happy introduction to social media for Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.

About 10am on Wednesday, Sheikh Saif logged on to Twitter for the first time, joining a growing list of ministers who have taken to social media to communicate directly with the public.

“My brothers and sisters … I welcome you all and begin my communication with you by thanking all those who have congratulated me on my newborn,” his first tweet said. “I wish happiness and success for all.”

Sheikh Saif’s latest arrival, Ahmed, was born on Friday, the ministry said.

As soon as news broke of the minister's presence on Twitter at @SaifBZayed, thousands quickly followed him and sent congratulatory tweets, kicking off hashtags celebrating his arrival on social media.

By 3pm on Wednesday, he had more than 19,000 followers with the number quickly rising.

Sheikh Saif follows only three others on Twitter: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces; and the Ministry of Interior's official Twitter page.

Other ministers active on Twitter include Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign and FNC Affairs, and Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy.