(MENAFN- Arab Times) Kuwait's interior ministry on Monday referred five suspects linked to the suicide bombing of a Shiite mosque to the prosecution service for legal action, a security official said. "We have referred five suspects accused of assisting the suicide bomber to the Public Prosecution," the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. They include the driver who took the Saudi bomber to the mosque and the car's owner and his brother, all stateless people or Bedouns.
They also include two Kuwaiti citizens - the owner of the house used as a hideout for the driver, and his brother, the official said. "More suspects are expected to be referred later," he added. Security agencies have rounded up an unspecified number of suspects in connection with Friday's blast that killed 27 people dead wounded 227.
The Public Prosecution will now interrogate the suspects and then refer them for trial. Kuwait's security agencies have "revised security plans and measures following the attack", said the official, adding that the new measures involve boosting security in general and around mosques in particular. The Islamic State group's Saudi affiliate, the so-called Najd Province, claimed the bombing and identified the assailant as Abu Suleiman al-Muwahhid.
Kuwaiti authorities on Sunday said the real name of the bomber was Fahd Suleiman Abdulmohsen al-Qaba'a, who was born in 1992. He entered the country through Kuwait Airport at dawn on Friday, the day of the bombing.
A handout photograph of Qaba'a showed a young bearded man wearing a traditional Saudi headdress. Saudi Arabia's interior ministry, meanwhile, said that it has no records of the bomber who flew to Kuwait via Bahrain on the day of the attack. IS on Monday released a video of Qaba'a in which he threatens Shiites in Kuwait with more attacks.
The Head of Parliament's budgets committee, MP Adnan Abdulsamad, said it had approved a government request for $400 million in urgent additional funding linked to the "prevailing situation" after the bombing.
The Saudi man who blew himself up inside a Shiite mosque in Kuwait last week flew into the country after transiting through nearby Bahrain and had no background suggesting he planned to carry out a terrorist attack, according to Gulf officials.
The details released by Saudi and Bahraini authorities paint a fuller picture of the suicide bomber in Friday's attack that killed 27 worshippers and wounded more than 200 in one of Kuwait City's most prominent Shiite mosques. Abranch of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The blast - which struck within hours of deadly attacks in Tunisia and France - has rattled largely stable Kuwait. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said Monday that al-Qaba'a arrived in that island nation on a Gulf Air flight from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, at 10:40 pm Thursday. He remained in transit for two and a half hours before boarding a connecting flight to Kuwait.
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said the bomber had no record with security forces or any background indicating terrorist activities. It confirmed he left the kingdom Thursday bound for Bahrain. An audio message accompanied by two still photos that was posted online and promoted by Twitter accounts affiliated with the Islamic State group purports to be a final message from al-Qaba'a. A caption below the clip calls the bomber a "soldier of the caliphate" and identifies him by the nom de guerre of Abu Suleiman al-Muwahhed. In the message, the speaker vows to pursue jihad against his enemies, particularly Shiites in Kuwait, saying "we are on the lookout for you." He also addresses Islamic State group's leader, Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, telling him to "be patient and swear to God that we are with you." The group's Najd Province offshoot, which said it was behind the Kuwait mosque attack, has claimed two attacks on Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in late May. The branch's name refers to the central region of Saudi Arabia.
Interior
In less than 48 hours the Ministry of Interior was able to identify the suicide bomber who killed 27 people and injured more than 200 after the attack on the Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque in Sawaber, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
Following the attack, the State Security forces and the Rapid Intervention Force raided the houses of two Kuwaitis, both believed to be brothers and lived side by side in Riqqa. They are allegedly the masterminds of the attack on the mosque and one is known to have sheltered the bomber after he arrived in Kuwait and the other had initially gone to Afghanistan to fight a holy war.
The security forces have also taken into custody four other men to know details of the explosives belt and how they remained in contact with the Islamic State. The security sources said the bomber, a Saudi national identified as Fahd Suleiman AbdulMohsen Al-Qaba' a, entered Kuwait early morning Friday, the same day the blast occurred at the mosque, via the Kuwait International Airport, after being in transit in Bahrain for two hours aboard Gulf Air, Flight No 170.
The sources added members affiliated to DAESH in a neighboring country smuggled the explosives into the country three days before the blast, put them into the home of a Kuwaiti in Riqqa and left the country. Sources said the man who drove the bomber to the mosque and who escaped immediately after the blast has been arrested in addition to the owner of the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle is believed to be a bedoun and he was found holed up in the house of one of the masterminds. According to sources the two Kuwaitis with two other suspects were also involved in rioting and destroying public facilities, possessing bombs, arms and ammunition.
Meanwhile, the Al-Shahed daily said the State Security police have taken into custody an employee working at the Al- Nuwaiseeb border post for allegedly helping terrorists smuggle explosives into the country € explosives which were used in the bombing of the Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque. The daily said the suspect is being interrogated to identify his role in the bombing of the mosque on Friday, June 26, 2015, that killed 27 people and injured more than 200 hundred.
It has been reported the brother of one of the suspects and owner of the car which transported the bomber to the bombing site, identified as Jarrah Nimr, joined DAESH in Syria two years ago and appeared in a picture with DAESH members when victims were beheaded. It has also been reported the brother, whose identity is not known, is wanted by the State Security.
A security source said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled was following up the course of events round-the-clock to reach the members of the terrorist cell. The daily added, the public will be informed about every detail once the arrests and investigations are complete. In one incident, Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry Lt General Suleiman Al-Fahd headed the operation during a raid on one of the terrorists den.
Sabotage
In other news, the Al-Anba daily quoting security sources said the members of the cell kept in touch with each other, particularly those outside the country through WhatsApp and received orders to carry out sabotage activities in Kuwait to disrupt life, create chaos in the country and kill people.
The cell members in Kuwait reportedly chose the Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque in Sawaber as the first target. They had been monitoring the movement at the mosque for two weeks before committing the heinous act according to the confessions of those in custody of police.
The source added Nimr was fully aware of the plot to bomb the mosque and gave his car to Abdulrahman Sabah Eidan who transported the suicide bomber to a house in Riqqa where the explosives were kept and helped him to wear the explosives-laden belt. The source added Eidan returned to Riqqa 20 minutes after transporting the Saudi terrorist to the mosque and was received by masterminds. They later congratulated each other after the blast. The Al-Rai daily quoting security source said the Saudi suicide bomber had never met the members of the cell before, never been to Iraq of Syria.
Record
The daily quoting the same source said the bomber has no criminal record either in Kuwait or in Saudi Arabia. According to Annahar daily Al-Nimr is well-known in Islamic circles. He is also well-known for adopting and promoting the DAESH thought. He was reportedly seen giving young children lessons on extremism and luring them to join the DAESH organization. He used the social networking website Instagram to attract young children and teenagers to give them advice and 'religious' lessons containing information about expanding the circle of extremism. He was deliberately seen posing in video clips and photos accompanied by clerics. According to reliable sources the security sources are continuing their raids in Doha, Dhaher, Jahra and Sulaibiya € the hotspots of terrorist activity. Meanwhile, sources revealed the owner of the vehicle that was used to transport the bomber to the mosque is a known sympathizer of the deviant thought. Sources mentioned most of his friends are members of the Islamic State. According to security sources he is a former convict, lived in Jleeb Al- Shuyoukh and was involved in many fights. He has a brother who has joined the Islamic State in Syria, and another is serving time at the Central Prison.
Twitter
Soon after the identity of the bomber of the Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque, Fahd Suleiman Abdulmohsen al-Qaba'a, was disclosed, Twitter users in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began revealing some interesting facts about the bomber and his family, reports Al-Seyassah daily. Some of them said the father of the bomber is serving time for a long time for embracing the extremist thoughts. This is in addition to three of the family members who are accused of involvement in terrorist activities. The tweeters have also posted on their sites pictures of letters written to the Saudi authorities by the family of the prisoners asking for the release of their father and that Fahd al-Qaba'a and his sister are among those who have signed the petition.
Meanwhile, one of the brothers of the suicide bomber in a statement published by Arabia.net said since his childhood, Fahd was mentally unstable in his way of thinking. He went on to say, Fahd who did not complete his university studies, became violent and hated those who differed with him on religious issues. Fahd reportedly moved to Riyadh where his father had a commercial business but refused government jobs because he considered them 'haram'. However, he worked two jobs in private companies. His brother added a few days before Ramadan, during a family gathering Fahd became angry and left.
They also condemned those who promote chaos between the two sisterly countries Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Some Twitter users said Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are one nation and will continue to support each other to confront terrorism and extremism that divide nations. They went on to say the authorities must devise a new method to deal with extremists and sleeper cells especially that the Gulf region has been witnessing destructive operations by extremist groups since 2002 because a majority of them are known to the security authorities. They also talked about attempts by some troublemakers to destabilize the Gulf unity calling in unacceptable. They said all GCC citizens are aware of the danger lurking in the region due to external avarice. The said young men such as the suicide bomber do not represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and that some extremists are exploiting the weakness of some youths and lure them to adopt deviant thoughts. They all agreed that terrorism has no religion or nationality and the campaigns which soil the image of Islam should be forbidden and the extremists should be prevented from speaking to the youths by all means.
Fingerprint
MP Dr Yusuf Al-Zalzalah was quoted as saying the government and the Parliament have taken bold steps to agree on a law to fingerprint any person entering the country, reports Annahar daily. The decision is expected to be approved during Wednesday's Parliament session. The two authorities have also agreed to install metal detectors at vital places and also issue a law for the speedy trial of persons involved in terrorism and murder. Al-Zalzalah disclosed it has been agreed to increase the budget of the Ministry of Interior to help it purchase munitions and weapons detection devices and also the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to install metal detector devices in mosques and places of worship to protect the faithful. Meanwhile, MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan said he and a number of MPs will submit a proposal to dedicate one hour of Tuesday's session for the memorial service for the martyrs of Friday's bomb blast. During this hour some MPs are expected to raise the issue of some extremists who are occupying senior positions in some institutions and government offices and called for their removal.
Families
"We extend our condolences to HH the Amir of Kuwait, to the families of the victims and to the people of Kuwait. We wish the wounded speedy recovery", the family of the Saudi suicide bomber Fahd Sulaiman Abdulmohsen al-Qaba'a said in a statement, reports Gulf News.
They stressed that they have nothing to do with the heinous crime committed by Fahd, and opposed the ideology that did not respect the sanctity of Islam, mosques or the Holy Month of Ramadan. Renewing their pledge of allegiance to King of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, to the Crown Prince and to the Deputy Crown Prince, the family said they fully supported their country. According to news reports published by Kuwait press media, Fahd Sulaiman Abdulmohsen al-Qaba'a had no criminal records either in Saudi Arabia or in Kuwait.
There were also no indications that suggested he was planning to carry out a terrorist attack. The man, who drove Fahd to Imam Al- Sadeq Mosque in the capital where the latter detonated explosives, killing 27 people and injuring more than 200 others on Friday, was arrested from a house owned by an extremist.
In the car, the officers found the traditional thobe worn by the bomber when he arrived in Kuwait and which he replaced with another thobe under which he concealed his explosives belt.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Ports Security at Bahrain's Ministry of Interior stated on Monday that al-Gaba'a arrived at Bahrain International Airport from Riyadh at 22:40 on June 25 on Gulf Air Flight 170. He was at the airport on transit for two and a half hours and then left for Kuwait on Gulf Air Flight 211 at 1:10 on Friday, June 26.
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