Kuwait tries 37 Islamists of ties to al-Qaida
Kuwait, Politics, 5/25/2005

A Kuwaiti court started trials of 37 Kuwaitis belonging to a group called "Lions of the peninsula" suspected to have links to al-Qaida organization, members of it had taken part in the clashes with the security forces by the beginning of this year.

The representatives of the attorney called for death penalty to 20 of the suspects in fire opening incidents in January resulted in killing 9 Islamists and four security men and injuring other 10.

The court accused the men of "joining a banned organization built on carrying out acts of destruction against the state's establishments and the private sector and the assassination of the security and police forces members, training on the use of weapons and owning it." These accusations require death penalties in Kuwait.

The police said that some of the accused persons admitted of planning attacks against American military men and western targets in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti police also announced seizing large amounts of weapons.

For their part the accused men denied accusations addressed to them stressing that they confessed under use of force and under threat, and four of them showed traces of tortures seen on their bodies.

Most of the accused men are Kuwaitis ( 26 Kuwaitis) as well as seven of al-Badoun (without nationality), two Jordanians, one Somali, one Saudi and one Australian, 11 of them are tried in absentia.

Nuha, the wife of Amer al-Anzi the leader of the group who died in prison two weeks of his detention was brought before the court. The Kuwaiti authorities justified his death then to that he had a heart attack.

The hearing session was adjourned until June 11 so as to permit lawyers read the documents of the case.

Worthy mentioning that Kuwait which was used as the starting point station of the American war against Iraq in 2003 hosts 30,000 American soldiers with other 1300 civilians living in it.

Previous Stories:
  Kuwaiti Islamists and giving women their rights   (5/17/2005)
  Historic vote: Kuwaiti women get full political rights   (5/17/2005)
  Kuwait permits al-Jazeera TV to resume work   (5/12/2005)
  Washington warns its citizens in Kuwait   (1/31/2005)
  Persons accused of Kuwait's explosions brought to Attorney General   (1/26/2005)
  Kuwait chases several armed Kuwaitis and Saudis   (1/24/2005)

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