US to reduce number of embassy staff in Kuwait

An American official said in Washington on Thursday that the US Department of State is discussing the possibility of reducing the number of the American embassy staff in Kuwait and to recommend that US citizens leave Kuwait because of the risks of the occurrence of new attacks.

Some 8,000 American are living in Kuwait, while more 16,000 troops are deployed there, of which units carried out vast maneuvers in which tanks took part near the borders with Iraq, in the framework of training that started one week ago.

On Thursday, on the other hand, the Kuwaiti ministry of the interior said in a statement that the detained Kuwaiti, Sami Muhammad Marzouq Obeid al-Mateiri, admitted to have had committed his crime "in opening fire and killing Michael Rene Polo and wounding David Karawi," the two workers with a company contracting with the American forces in Kuwait.

The statement added that the suspect admitted during investigations that he "supports the ideas of al-Qaida organization." Al-Mateiri was among the persons who were questioned and released following the attack against Filka which took place on October 7th, 2002 during which one American marine was killed and another wounded.