Kuwait sentences 7 to death over mosque bombing
Kuwait has sentenced seven suspects to death, five of them in absentia, on Tuesday for their roles in the deadly attack on a Shiite mosque in June that killed 27 people, according to Kuwait’s state news agency (KUNA).
Among those sentenced to death were one defendant convicted of driving the bomber to the mosque and a second described by the court as the “wali” or leader of the local branch of ISIS. Both were present in court on Tuesday.
The other five, who still remain at large, include two Saudi brothers who were convicted of smuggling the explosives used in the attack from Saudi Arabia in an icebox.
Another eight suspects were handed down prison sentences ranging between two to 15 years.
The remaining 14 suspects who stood trial for the attack were acquitted of all charges and are set to be released shortly.
The defendants included seven Kuwaitis, five Saudis, three Pakistanis and 13 stateless Arabs known as bidoon, as well as one unidentified person still at large.
Earlier in July, Kuwait announced that 29 people, most of them residents of this Gulf Arab country while seven were women, would stand trial trial for the suicide bombing attack of Imam al-Sadiq mosque that was claimed by the extremist ISIS group.
The bombing killed 27 worshippers and wounded at least 200 people while they were performing Friday prayers. An ISIS-affiliated group calling itself Najd Province claimed the Kuwait City bombing as well as suicide attacks at two Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in May.
[wpResize] |
You must be logged in to post a comment.