KUWAIT: Following
the arrest of eight members of a terrorist cell linked to Egypt's outlawed
Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait on Friday, security sources yesterday said state
security investigations with them focused on three basic elements - the visas
on which they entered Kuwait and their relationship with the sponsors who
issued them; the meetings they had in Kuwait with Kuwaitis or others and
whether they were held with good or bad intentions; in addition to the nature
of work and activities they practiced in Kuwait. According to sources, some of
the suspects - all Egyptians - worked for a charity organization in
Kuwait.
The sources added
that investigators want to know whether the cell had planned any operations
outside Kuwait while they were here. The sources said after confiscating the
group's laptops, mobile phones and documents, state security detectives are
currently examining and analyzing them to prepare a complete case file. The sources
said the terrorist group had been tracked down after state security received
tips from local and foreign sources, including suspects arrested in Egypt,
concerning the cell members and the danger they pose due to their military
training.
A statement by
the interior ministry on Friday carried by the state-run news agency KUNA said
the militants were allegedly members of a "terrorist cell", including
some who have been "convicted of terrorism" and sentenced to jail in
Egypt. "Those arrested carry Egyptian nationalities and belong to the
Muslim Brotherhood organization," the ministry said.
The suspects, it
said, are wanted by Egypt where some of them have been sentenced to up to 15
years in jail. During interrogations, the suspects admitted to carrying out
terrorist operations in Egypt. Investigations are ongoing to determine their
accomplices, the statement said, warning that it will crack down ruthlessly
against saboteurs.
Egyptian
authorities have led a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members after the
military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Later that year
Egypt outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood and declared it a "terrorist
organization". Egypt and its allies, including Gulf powerhouses Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, consider the Muslim Brotherhood a
"terrorist" organization.