US troops in Kuwait targeted by Islamic State

File Photo of The truck used by the suspect in the failed suicide attack (bottom left), the pickup carrying the US soldiers (top left) and explosives including a suicide belt (right). - MoI

KUWAIT: The Criminal Court yesterday handed a life term against an Egyptian truck driver who is a member of the Islamic State for attacking US soldiers, as the Court of Cassation confirmed tough jail terms against an eight-member IS cell. The court found Ibrahim Sulaiman, 28, guilty of trying to kill US soldiers stationed in the country after he rammed his truck into a car carrying three US soldiers in October.

The US Embassy in Kuwait described the incident as a "terrorist attack". The American soldiers escaped unhurt while the driver sustained minor injuries when his truck caught fire as a result of the collision. The Interior Ministry said after the incident that it found with Sulaiman a letter in which he pledges allegiance to the Islamic State. Police also found a belt and materials suspected to be explosives. The case will now go to the Court of Appeals.

In the meantime, the Court of Cassation, whose rulings are final, yesterday upheld a 20-year jail term on Fahad Farraj, the supposed leader of the Islamic State in Kuwait. The court also upheld 15-year jail terms against two others and 10-year jail terms against five more who together formed the so-called Jahra Daesh cell. The men were charged with fighting in Iraq and Syria under the Islamic State, raising funds for the group and training on the use of firearms in Kuwait.

The National Assembly Interior and Defense committee yesterday delayed until either end of this week or next week a probe into allegations that a large number of Kuwaiti citizenships could have been forged. The postponement came because Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, who was supposed to attend the meeting, had an urgent appointment with the Amir, head of the committee MP Askar Al-Enezi said.

He said the committee also studied the government proposed changes to the much criticized DNA testing law. The government is proposing that four sections will be affected by the DNA testing: criminals, dead bodies, relatives of missing people and those who voluntarily want the test, Askar said. He said the committee has asked the government for a number of explanations before taking a decision. MP Ahmad Al-Fadhl asked the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor about the number of charity organizations in Kuwait and how many of them are allowed to collect donations. He also asked about the amount of donations collected by each organization over the past 20 years.

 

By B Izzak