Major Political Crimes in Kuwait Najeeb Al-Wagayan, Lawyer Sabah al-Shemmari, Journalist In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate Major Political Crimes in Kuwait Najeeb Al-Wagayan, Lawyer Sabah al-Shemmari, Journalist First edition, 1996 Second edition, 1997 All copyrights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers. Dedication to late lawyer Faris Ibrahim Al-Wagayan Introduction Perhaps, it is the first time to issue a book that documents and chronicles most famous crimes and trials bearing on violent and terrorist acts against Kuwait. Such acts include assassinations, bombings, hijacking of Kuwaiti planes, forced deviation of aircraft to the Kuwait International Airport and even "revengeful" acts in retaliation for Kuwait's trial of people who committed previous crimes, or as leverage on Kuwait's position on certain issues. We were keen on writing this book so objectively, accurately and honestly and covering facts in detail. We sought to uncover unknown facts that required a stupendous effort to find. However, this book is not meant to expose certain people, parties, organizations or countries in as much as it aims to illustrate a set of acts and violations between 1968 and 1995. This book contained crimes and trials that were fully published for the first time, given the fact that most trial sessions were not public. But, they became public only in 1990 before the State Security Court was scrapped as pursuant to Law 55 for 1995 in order to ensure more justice, thus referring all cases to ordinary courts. The entire world monitored all such violent acts covered by the book, but ever since many facts and backgrounds have been unknown. It is noteworthy that on the first day of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, all prisoners escaped. But, when the country was liberated, an amnesty was issued for all citizens who were jailed in connection with state security cases. Although the State Security Court issued several capital punishment sentences, no-one was hanged. The operations in question are linked to regional developments or "climates" and political, social and doctrinal shifts that swept the Middle East since the Arab defeat in the 1967 War, the oil ban that followed the 1973 War, the developments of the Palestinian cause, conflicts among Arab and regional "axes" and reflections of the Iraqi-Iranian War. Kuwait was a field for retaliation against foreign rivals. The concepts of "violence" and "terrorism" diversified at ancient and modern times according to the nature of every era of political and societal development. However, some terrorist acts, with their diverse manifestations, have been used as alternatives to conventional war or as an expression of a certain group's desire to strike terror into people's hearts. Analysts and specialists are concurrent that the psychological impacts of violent acts are mostly more targeted than the infliction of human or material losses. So, mass media are required to play a role in "delivering" the message which the perpetrators of violent or terrorist acts want to give to a certain people or a certain agency. However, regardless of the political and media, and sometimes personal, motives of hijackers, bombers or hostage-takers, their techniques are notably identical. Bizarrely enough, a man who hijacks a plane for personal purposes is sometimes weak and faint, being driven by an integrated mechanism and series of acts and behaviors by which he "manages" hijacking, hostage-taking, negotiation, conditions, responses, calls and threats…etc. By doing so, he merely tries to assume the method and techniques of organizations or countries that have been versed in this domain!! Thank God, we publish this book at a time when the State of Kuwait enjoys security and prosperity at all levels and the "Kuwaiti and Gulf eye" is vigilant and careful for safeguarding security and stability in the region. Finally, we'd like to thank and appreciate all judicial, security, diplomatic and media references, authorities and institutions for their valuable efforts and cooperation in the provision of information and givens mentioned in this book. We also wish this part of the world permanent security and stability, hoping that all potentials could be harnessed for the common good of generations to come. The writers, Popular Revolutionary Movement The Popular Revolutionary Movement is an organization that seceded from the Arab Nationalist Movement in the second half of 1968; following the June 1967 Catastrophe. This new organization managed to build its structure and have affiliated agencies, including one that was responsible for violent acts, an ideological committee and a treasury fund for financial affairs, together with members who used to meet regularly. When the organization completed its formation, it decided to hold its institutional congress to handpick its leaders. Caretaker leaders were chosen until the congress would be held. They included five people who were in their twenties and mostly in study age. They were zealous at this hectic period. The constitutional congress was held at al-Juliaa area along the Arabian Gulf beach on November 10, 1962. It was attended by the organization members, a delegate of the politburo in the Gulf and another delegate of the so-called the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf as well as three others whose names were not disclosed. During the congress, several decisions were taken; including one that envisioned liaison to the politburo in the Gulf and commitment to the strategic, organizational and ideological trend and revolutionary violence of the bureau as well as the election of leaders. As the organization lived an intellectual crisis over a specific ideological identity or social doctrine, scientific socialism was suggested as an ideology to be abided by. The organization's members had code-names in order to ensure confidentiality; such as Majuid, Faris, Jadaan, Saud, Walid, Sulyman, Yussef…etc. They also contributed money to the organization either in the form of monthly payments or according to their financial potential. When it was announced that Iran's Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi would visit the State of Kuwait, the organization's leaders convened to discuss how they could express their sentiments against this visit and Iranian infiltration and threats against Bahrain at that time. A decision was taken to launch explosions and to hand out flyers on this occasion. The organization asked one of its members to buy the necessary explosives and the treasurer paid him 300 Kuwaiti dinars out of the members' contributions for the purpose. The explosives were hidden in the desert, but then taken to a hut at al- Shadadia area and finally to a hen farm at Salwa area, as the members began to train in using weapons and explosives theoretically and practically. Just a few days ahead of the Iranian Shah's visit, a member of the organization, while returning from cinema early October 29, 1968, he passed by a municipal store where ornamental items were kept for decorating the main streets and squares on the occasion of the visit. Having decided to set the store ablaze, he brought a tin of petrol from his car and poured some petrol on a piece of wood and then threw the tin into the store before he set the wooden piece afire and threw it too. The fire flared up and caught useless wood next to the store wall. The guard of the store immediately called the firemen, who came soon and managed to put the fire out before it caught ornamental items. On the eve of November 14, 1968, two members of the organization prepared an explosive device and then went to the Iranian embassy situated on Al-Istiqlal Street in the capital city of Kuwait. They planted the device on the pavement along the southern direction of the building at the entrance of one of its gates at 11:30 p.m. It was timed to explode within one hour. It did blow up at 12:30 a.m., but caused slight damage to the entrance. The following day, the Iranian Shah visited the country and stayed at Al-Salam (Peace) Palace. The organization planted an improvised bomb containing pieces of pipes filled with gunpowder just 150 meters away from the palace. It exploded at 1:30 a.m., but caused no damage. Another bomb planted along the road from the airport to the palace did not explode. Furthermore, the organization members handed out flyers at some areas by throwing them on the streets, inside stationary cars, through the windows of houses and at the doors of buildings. Three months later, when the date for the National Assembly (parliament) election was approaching, the organization leaders convened to discuss how to protest the polls which they viewed as unfair. They decided to launch explosions at the Interior Ministry, Interior Minister's house and the National Assembly building, and to circulate leaflets. Three improvised time bombs were planted at places in a way that could lead to no public casualties. The first bomb detonated at around 10:00 p.m. on January 25, 1969 at the garden of the Interior Ministry at al-Shammia suburb, shattering the windows of most nearby houses. Financial damage amounted to 45 dinars. The second device exploded at around 11:00 at the National Assembly building opposite the capital governorate, dashing one of the building windows, which cost 30 dinars to repair. A man, who was going to the minister to implore him not to demolish his hut, was injured in the bombing. The bomb was planted in the hole of a wall built for passing an electric wire to the house.