3 Pakistanis among 29 charged over Kuwait suicide attack

Published July 14, 2015
Imam Sadiq mosque in Kuwait which was bombed earlier in June. – Reuters/File
Imam Sadiq mosque in Kuwait which was bombed earlier in June. – Reuters/File

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait charged 29 people on Tuesday over the suicide bombing of a Shia mosque last month, claimed by the self-styled Islamic State group, that killed 26 people and wounded more than 200.

The attack, carried out by a Saudi, was the worst in Kuwait's history.

Read: Kuwait Shia mosque bomber was Saudi national

Those charged included seven Kuwaitis, five Saudis, three Pakistanis, 13 stateless people known as bedouins, and another person at large, the prosecution said, cited by the official KUNA news agency.

Of those arrested, 24 have been detained in Kuwait and the remaining five will be tried in absentia. Among the latter are two Saudi brothers who allegedly transported the explosives into Kuwait and are being held in Saudi Arabia.

The prosecution charged two of the suspects with premeditated murder and attempted murder. Two others were charged with training in the use of explosives, nine with assisting in committing the crime and the rest with knowing of the attack without informing the authorities.

Read more: Thousands attend funerals in Kuwait

An IS-affiliated group calling itself Najd Province claimed responsibility for the bombing and also said it carried out suicide attacks at two Shia mosques in Saudi Arabia earlier in May.

IS considers Shias to be heretics and has targeted them across the region.

On Monday, the Kuwaiti cabinet decided to set up a permanent committee to “fight against all forms of terrorism and extremism,” and it will coordinate among various bodies in a bid to ensure security.

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