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Kuwait seeks death sentences for 11 over mosque attack

Wednesday, 15 July 2015 5:27 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 15 July 2015 5:41 PM ]

People stand outside the Shia Imam Sadiq Mosque after a deadly bomb blast during Friday prayers on June 26, 2015, Kuwait City. (AFP)

Kuwait’s public prosecution has reportedly called for the death penalty for 11 of the 29 people recently charged with involvement in a deadly bombing at a Shia mosque in Kuwait City in June.

The Kuwaiti al-Qabas daily newspaper, citing informed sources, said on Wednesday that a number of the suspects were charged with joining a "terrorist" organization fighting against the state.

According to al-Qabas, two of the suspects are currently fighting alongside the Takfiri ISIL terrorists.

The ISIL-affiliated group, Najd Province, claimed responsibility for the bomb attack at Imam Sadiq Mosque in the al-Sawabir district of the Kuwaiti capital on June 26.

The attack, which was carried out as worshipers gathered for Friday prayers, claimed the lives of over two dozen people and left nearly 230 others wounded.

Mourners carry the bodies of two of the victims of the Imam Sadiq Mosque bombing, during a mass funeral at Jaafari cemetery in Kuwait City on June 27, 2015. (AFP Photo)

On Tuesday, Kuwait’s official news agency, KUNA, said 24 of those charged had been detained inside Kuwait and the remaining five were expected to be tried in absentia.

The news agency said among those charged were Kuwaitis, Saudis, Pakistani nationals, and ethnic Bedoons.

Earlier this week, two brothers detained in Saudi Arabia said they had obtained explosive materials needed for the bombing from neighboring Bahrain.

The Kuwaiti cabinet recently decided to set up a permanent committee to "fight against all forms of terrorism... and extremism."

Kuwait's parliament has also adopted a law making DNA testing mandatory for all the citizens and foreign residents in order to create a comprehensive database.

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