WASHINGTON: Former Marine General John Allen has resigned as head of the Brookings Institution, as per reports, amid a federal probe into whether he pressured the US government on behalf of Qatar during Donald Trump's presidency.

Allen, a retired four-star general who led US and allied troops in Afghanistan, wrote in his resignation letter, "While I leave the institution with a heavy heart, I know it is best for all concerned in this moment." Allen's retirement from Brookings, a major Washington think tank, comes after the FBI acquired Allen's electronic communications, according to a court filing made public last week on a non-profit legal research website.

The FBI accused Allen of appearing to break foreign lobbying regulations and neglecting to submit emails relating to the lobbying effort in the court document, which appeared to have been released online by mistake. Allen has denied lobbying on behalf of Qatar, the report read.

After Qatar was diplomatically isolated by its Gulf neighbours in 2017, the lobbying inquiry focuses on Allen's conversations with Trump administration officials, including former national security advisor H.R. McMaster. The probe is part of the Justice Department's ongoing effort to enforce the Foreign Agents Registration Act's prohibition on foreign lobbying (FARA).

The FBI's search request, dated April, claims that Allen was recruited in 2017 to travel to Qatar during the country's struggle with a blockade imposed by other Gulf countries accusing Qatar of supporting extremism.

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