GOK NOT EAGER TO CLAIM "KUWAITI" BOMBER KILLED IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001111

SIPDIS

NEA/ARP, NEA/RA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2019
TAGS: PTER PREL KU IZ
SUBJECT: GOK NOT EAGER TO CLAIM "KUWAITI" BOMBER KILLED IN
IRAQ

Classified By: Political Counselor Pete O'Donohue for reasons 1.4 b and
d


1. (U) Virtually all Kuwaiti news media on November 24 ran a
story -- drawn largely from international wire service
sources -- stating that a Kuwaiti (or stateless person --
Bidoon -- emanating from Kuwait) was killed by Iraqi State
Security on November 23 while attempting to crash a truck
bomb into a police station in Anbar province (two newspaper
specified that the incident occurred in the city of Al-Qaim).
None of the accounts provided any details concerning the
deceased individual, although most reported that he was
believed to have been carrying a fake ID issued from Baiji,
in Salaadin province. Some accounts stated that the
suspect's vehicle contained three tons of chlorine and C4,
"as well as other chemical materials." While most accounts
stated that the attacker was killed by Iraqi security forces,
Al-Watan newspaper wrote that "Iraqi security sources
revealed to Al-Watan that the Iraqi forces were able to
arrest a Kuwaiti who was driving a truck bomb and planning to
blow it up in Al-Qaim, in Anbar province. Sources added that
Iraqi security forces are investigating how the Kuwaiti
entered Iraq, who was financing him, and the state or
organization that facilitated his mission."


2. (C) Embassy efforts to obtain further information
concerning the incident from MFA or Kuwait State Security
(KSS) have, thus far, been unavailing. MFA's Director of
Coordination and Follow-Up Ambassdor Khaled Muqames told
PolCouns on November 24 that the GOK has not yet received any
evidence from Iraqi authorities to support the claim that the
deceased individual is a Kuwaiti; Muqames surmised that the
individual may be a Bidoon or other non-Kuwaiti who had
merely spent some time in Kuwait. KSS sources also denied
that they had any information on the incident, but told
Embassy they would share such information as it became
available from Iraqi sources.


3. (C) Commment: If the deceased suspect turns out to be a
Bidoon, the GOK is likely to eschew any responsibility for
him, reflecting its long-held position that most of the the
Bidoons are, in fact, Iraqis (or citizens of other Arab
countries) who have come to Kuwait to take advantage of its
stability and social services. If, however, he turns out to
have been a Kuwaiti, the GOK will be in for some
hand-wringing and soul-searching. The position of the Bidoon
in Kuwait causes a significant dilemma for the GOK which is
eager, on the one hand, to be seen as treating them in a
human and tolerant manner (notwithstanding the fact that many
Kuwaitis are hostile to the Bidoon presence and view them as
a "fifth column") while, on the other hand, asserting to the
U.S. and others that it has a handle on potential extremist
elements.

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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
visit Kuwait's Classified Website at:

http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it
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JONES