KUWAITIS PRAISE SAUDI TERROR ARRESTS; PROMPTS SOUL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000639 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT, DS/ATA, AND NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2022 TAGS: PGOV PTER KCIP ASEC SA KU TERRORISM SUBJECT: KUWAITIS PRAISE SAUDI TERROR ARRESTS; PROMPTS SOUL SEARCHING REF: A. KUWAIT 570 ¶B. 05 KUWAIT 264 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C/NF) Summary: Kuwaitis welcomed the recent terrorist arrests in Saudi Arabia and condemned those involved. So far, no Kuwaitis have been implicated in the plots, but Kuwait is working with Saudi officials to investigate any possible connections. One local daily reported that the Saudis are looking for two Kuwaiti citizens, Mohsen Al-Fadhli and Khaled Al-Dosari, who are also wanted in Kuwait in connection with the Peninsula Lions terrorist cell broken up in January 2005 (reftels). The Cabinet issued a statement praising the Saudi arrests and reaffirming Kuwait's commitment to combating terrorism. Liberal editorialists spoke out strongly against the plots, criticized extremist interpretations of Islam, and called for greater oversight of charity organizations. Chairman of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) Tareq Al-Issa also condemned the terrorist plots and those involved, but stressed that "the majority (of Muslims) should not be punished for the sins of the (misguided) minority." Kuwait Petroleum Corporation CEO Hani Hussain told the Ambassador April 29 he hoped the Saudi arrests would provide further impetus for GOK authorities to be more aggressive in strengthening Kuwait's Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection (CEIP) regime. End summary. ¶2. (C/NF) Kuwaitis praised the recent terrorist arrests in Saudi Arabia and condemned those involved in the plots as "deviant" and "misguided." Defense/Interior Minister Shaykh Jaber Al-Mubarak told press no Kuwaitis were arrested, but Kuwaiti officials were in close consultation with their Saudi counterparts to determine if any Kuwaitis were involved in the plots. A senior official at the Kuwaiti National Security Bureau (NSB) confirmed this information during an April 29 meeting with PolOff, but said he expected an announcement of some Kuwaiti connection to be made in the coming weeks, without elaborating. According to local press reports, a Kuwaiti security delegation is in Saudi Arabia to discuss the arrests and another Kuwaiti delegation will be arriving soon. Quoting "high-level security sources," Al-Qabas (Arabic daily) reported April 30 that Saudi �0A;officials have told Kuwait that Mohsen Al-Fadhli and Khaled Al-Dosari, Kuwaiti citizens wanted in connection with the Peninsula Lions case (reftels),are among the 36 individuals they are still searching for for involvement in the terrorist plots. The Cabinet issued a statement April 29 praising the Saudi arrests and reiterating Kuwait's "full rejection" of terrorist acts and support for international efforts to combat terrorism. Arrests Prompt Soul Searching -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The arrests prompted some collective soul searching in Kuwait and sparked strong condemnation of extremism from liberals. Liberal columnist Salah Al-Sayer argued in Al-Anba (Arabic daily) April 29 that "terrorism will not vanish from our region unless the concerned countries exert concerted efforts...to promote a new culture other than the culture of death and destruction." Liberal lawyer Mohammed Musaed Al-Saleh questioned how these "Al-Qaeda elements" could plot to assassinate public figures when "Islam categorically prohibits Muslims killing Muslims," in an April 29 article in Al-Qabas. Another liberal columnist, Nabeel Al-Fadhil, wrote April 29 in Al-Watan (Arabic daily),"The 'factories' which produce the terrorist thought and the mechanism which has been engineered to finance it will be stopped only through a bold confession that the methods of violence have sneaked into Islam." They also noted that the terrorist cells had collected money in the name of legitimate business and charity organizations, and stressed the need for better oversight mechanisms to prevent innocent people from inadvertently donating money to terrorist organizations. Leading Salafi Voices Support For Saudi "King and Govt" -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Tareq Al-Issa, the Chairman of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS),a Kuwaiti charity organization whose branches in Pakistan and Afghanistan were designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as terrorist financiers in 2002, also spoke out in support of the arrests. In an April 29 article in Al-Qabas, Al-Issa expressed support for "the Saudi king, government and people," and characterized the plots as "a horrendous crime" and those involved as "a deviant, misguided group." However, he stressed that "the majority (of Muslims) should not be KUWAIT 00000639 002 OF 002 punished for the sins of the (misguided) minority." He continued: "We should all strive to deter this misguided group, stop this great sedition, and remove the great offense brought against Islam as a result of what they did. I appeal to all youths of this nation, particularly religious youths, to abide by the Holy Book and the Prophetic Traditions and avoid extravagance and extremism." Underscore Need for Energy Infrastructure Protection -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) In an April 29 meeting with the Ambassador, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation CEO Hani Hussain remarked on press reports suggesting that many of those detained in Saudi Arabia were planning to carry out attacks against oil infrastructure. Hussain said that along with the thwarted terrorist attack against the Abqaiq petroleum complex in Saudi Arabia in February 2006, this should serve as a wake-up call to the Kuwaiti security services and petroleum companies. He said he hoped that the Saudi arrests would provide further impetus for GOK authorities to be more aggressive in strengthening Kuwait's Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection (CEIP) regime with the support and cooperation of the USG. Hussain added that he had been briefed by KPC security officials on the preliminary findings of the CEIP assessment conducted by a State-DHS-DOE team in March, and he agreed that a number of the recommendations should be implemented as soon as possible, especially in light of the developments in Saudi Arabia. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LeBaron