U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Terrorism 2005 - Kuwait

The Government of Kuwait strengthened domestic counterterrorism efforts following four separate police actions against terrorists in January that resulted in the deaths of four police officers and eight terrorists, and continued its counterterrorism cooperation with the United States. The Kuwaiti Government has taken measures to bolster security and enhance protection for Coalition Forces transiting Kuwait. Despite these positive steps, the potential for future attacks remains a serious concern. While Kuwait is a strong ally of the United States and verbally supportive of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Kuwait, the government was reluctant to confront extremist elements within the local population and continued to temper its measures against terrorists with long-time practices of cooptation to maintain domestic stability.

Kuwaiti law lacks strong provisions to deal effectively with those engaged in conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, but Kuwait State Security (KSS) continued to identify and arrest terror suspects. In the past, there were instances of individuals involved in terrorist cells receiving relatively light sentences for involvement in acts of terrorist violence. For example, the May trial of "Jihadists in Iraq" resulted in the conviction of 22 men; their three-year jail sentences are in the appeal process on the grounds of being "too harsh." The 22 were convicted of recruiting juveniles to fight U.S. forces in Iraq and collecting money to send to the Iraqi insurgency. However, on December 27, 37 defendants stood trial for terrorist activities stemming from January's police actions. Thirty of the 37 were found guilty of terrorism charges; six were sentenced to death. Eleven of the 37 remained fugitives. In general, the Public Prosecutor claimed that insufficient and incomplete evidence hampered the conviction of many suspected terrorists.

Kuwait responded quickly to U.S. concerns about a possible terror attack in January, reviewed security, and initiated a search for the individuals considered the source of the threats. Kuwaiti officials also heightened security along the border with Iraq and signed a security pact with the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior in December to prevent the infiltration of militants and transnational terrorists.

A ministerial committee chaired by the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs was formed in October 2004 to develop strategies to combat terrorism and extremism. It held conferences in the spring to promote moderation and tolerance among Kuwaiti youth. Through an outreach program, the group is also working on a long-term plan against terrorism and extremist ideology. The same ministry worked with the Ministry of Information to shut down some weblogs that encouraged extremist ideology.

Earlier in the year, Kuwait froze terrorist funds in accordance with UN designations. In the spring, the government froze the assets of Mohsen Al-Fadhli, a known Kuwaiti terrorist who is a fugitive from justice, after receiving the UN directive that put Al-Fadhli on its terrorism finance watch list.

The Government of Kuwait established a ministerial committee to revise and strengthen the country's existing anti-money laundering law to criminalize terror finance and strengthen internal procedures. Nevertheless, the Kuwaiti Government must do more to stem the flow of private donations from Kuwait to extremists in Iraq. There is no effective enforcement of laws governing the transfer and physical transport of currency into Kuwait, and the country has no cash exit declaration policy.