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Kuwait's public prosecution demands death sentence for 11 mosque bombers

Kuwait's public prosecution has asked that 11 of the 29 people arrested for bombing a Shia mosque be put to death, a local paper reported
Twenty-four suspects are detained in Kuwait and the other five are to be tried in absentia (AFP)

Kuwait's public prosecution has demanded the death penalty for 11 of 29 suspects charged over the suicide bombing of a Shia mosque last month, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Al-Qabas, citing informed sources, said two of the suspects are currently fighting with the Islamic State (IS), which claimed the attack. 

The 26 June bombing, carried out by a Saudi, was the bloodiest in Kuwait's history and left 26 people dead and more than 200 wounded.

Those charged are seven Kuwaitis, five Saudis, three Pakistanis, 13 stateless people known as bidoons, and another person whose identity is unknown and is said to be at large.

Twenty-four suspects are detained in Kuwait and the another five are to be tried in absentia, including two Saudi brothers who allegedly transported the explosives and are being held in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Qabas said some of the suspects were also charged with joining a "terrorist" organisation fighting against the state. 

Two of the suspects have been charged with premeditated murder and attempted murder.

Two others were charged with training in the use of explosives, nine with assisting in the crime and the rest with knowing of the attack without informing the authorities.

An IS-affiliated group calling itself Najd Province claimed the bombing and also said it carried out suicide attacks on two Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in May.

IS considers Shia Muslims to be heretics and has targeted them across the region.

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