6 people arrested as Kuwait cracks down on extremist cell

KUWAIT CITY // Kuwait’s interior ministry said on Thursday it cracked down on an extremist cell that was aiding ISIL with support that included brokering arms deals, arresting six people from various nationalities who were operating inside the country.

The official Kuwait News Agency said police arrested a Lebanese citizen described as the ringleader named Osama Khayat, who admitted to helping ISIL recruit fighters and raise money that was sent to ISIL-related bank accounts in Turkey. The interior ministry said Mr Khayat also admitted to closing weapons deals in Ukraine and using Turkey as a route to send weapons to ISIL fighters in Syria, where the group controls territory.

Police said they also arrested three Syrians, one of whom was an arms dealer for the ISIL group and another who was in charge of finances and communication. Police also detained an Egyptian who they described as a member of the ISIL group and a Kuwaiti national who was responsible for logistical support.

The statement said two Syrians and two Australian-Lebanese dual nationals are still at large.

A shorter, earlier statement from the news agency provided different details, including the number of arrests.

The predominantly Sunni country suffered its most devastating terrorist attack in decades in June when a suicide bomber attacked one of the Gulf nation’s oldest Shiite mosques, killing 27 people in the capital.

One of ISIL’s affiliates in the Arabian Peninsula, calling itself Najd Province, claimed responsibility for that attack.

* Associated Press