KUWAIT: Followingthe arrest of eight members of a terrorist cell linked to Egypt's outlawedMuslim Brotherhood in Kuwait on Friday, security sources yesterday said statesecurity investigations with them focused on three basic elements - the visason which they entered Kuwait and their relationship with the sponsors whoissued them; the meetings they had in Kuwait with Kuwaitis or others andwhether they were held with good or bad intentions; in addition to the natureof work and activities they practiced in Kuwait. According to sources, some ofthe suspects - all Egyptians - worked for a charity organization inKuwait.
The sources addedthat investigators want to know whether the cell had planned any operationsoutside Kuwait while they were here. The sources said after confiscating thegroup's laptops, mobile phones and documents, state security detectives arecurrently examining and analyzing them to prepare a complete case file. The sourcessaid the terrorist group had been tracked down after state security receivedtips from local and foreign sources, including suspects arrested in Egypt,concerning the cell members and the danger they pose due to their militarytraining.
A statement bythe interior ministry on Friday carried by the state-run news agency KUNA saidthe militants were allegedly members of a "terrorist cell", includingsome who have been "convicted of terrorism" and sentenced to jail inEgypt. "Those arrested carry Egyptian nationalities and belong to theMuslim Brotherhood organization," the ministry said.
The suspects, itsaid, are wanted by Egypt where some of them have been sentenced to up to 15years in jail. During interrogations, the suspects admitted to carrying outterrorist operations in Egypt. Investigations are ongoing to determine theiraccomplices, the statement said, warning that it will crack down ruthlesslyagainst saboteurs.
Egyptianauthorities have led a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members after themilitary overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Later that yearEgypt outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood and declared it a "terroristorganization". Egypt and its allies, including Gulf powerhouses SaudiArabia and the United Arab Emirates, consider the Muslim Brotherhood a"terrorist" organization.