KUWAIT CITY, 10 February 2005 — The alleged ringleader of a terror group accused of attacking Americans and Kuwaiti security has died of heart failure while in prison, officials said yesterday.
Amer Khlaif Al-Enezi, arrested late last month, died overnight at the Armed Forces Hospital where he was moved after he had trouble breathing,” Lt. Col. Adel Al-Hashash of the Interior Ministry told the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). A ministry statement later said Al-Enezi “died of heart failure.” He was believed to be in his 30s.
Al-Qabas daily, which printed a second edition to report the death, said Al-Enezi was “in bad physical and psychological condition” when he was questioned by prosecutors Tuesday. He was checked by doctors in the afternoon and died at night, the independent daily said, quoting “informed sources.”
The report could not be independently confirmed.
Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai promptly sent questions to Interior Minister Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah inquiring about the “circumstances surrounding the death” of Al-Enezi and whether his body was examined by forensics.
The lawmaker, who demanded copies of the report on Al-Enezi’s death, also asked if security authorities had complied with the constitution which bans the torturing of suspects during interrogation.
Al-Enezi was a mosque preacher in Jahra, 40 km northwest of Kuwait City, until a few months ago when he was reportedly dismissed by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs because of his “extremist views”.
He was arrested on Jan. 31 in a police raid on a house in Mubarak Al-Kabir, south of Kuwait City. He was questioned by state security and then referred to the prosecution.
According to press reports, Al-Enezi confessed during interrogation that his group, the Peninsula Lions Brigade, was linked to the Al-Haramain Brigades, which has links with Al-Qaeda.
Al-Enezi also reportedly confessed that his younger brother underwent explosives training in Iraq and that the group was planning attacks on US military convoys using Kuwait as a transit point to Iraq.
Some security sources described Al-Enezi as the spiritual leader of Al-Qaeda in Kuwait. He was suspected of involvement in deadly clashes between militants and security forces last month.
Security sources said Enezi’s death would not halt the activities of Al-Qaeda sympathizers in Kuwait. “The death of Amer Al-Enezi does not mean the eradication of terrorism in Kuwait,” one security source said.
“There are other leading suspects besides Al-Enezi. He was No. 1 but there are other key militants being pursued.”
The government has been locked in a battle against militant Muslims since last month. Al-Enezi and scores of other terror suspects were being questioned by the prosecution on accusations of plans to attack the country’s state security as well as American civilians and members of the US military.
Police have clashed with militants in four deadly shootouts in the last month, killing eight militants, including Al-Enezi’s brother, Nasser. Five suspects surrendered in a raid on Saturday, though two were later released.
Some 40 suspects have been detained and are being interrogated by the prosecution. Others are still at large. Four policemen and two bystanders have also died in the clashes.
The violence has alarmed Kuwaitis, marking the first time Kuwaiti blood has been spilled at home in the war on terror.
In an interview with Al-Qabas published yesterday, the American Ambassador to Kuwait, Richard LeBaron, said the militants involved in the clashes were determined to “change the very nature of the system here.”
The diplomat did not elaborate, but newspapers have said the ringleader told investigators their ultimate aim was to set up an “Islamic emirate” in the country.
Kuwaiti authorities took “appropriate” and “strong” action, LeBaron told the daily in the interview conducted Feb. 4. A transcript was also posted on the embassy’s Web site.
LeBaron urged the Kuwaiti government to be tougher on terror financing and educational reform.
“I think in Kuwait, as elsewhere, the society should be very concerned about what the schools are teaching and how they are teaching it,” he told the daily.
As part of a campaign to spread religious tolerance and moderation, the government has announced it will demolish unlicensed mosques where most of the extremist teaching is believed to be taking place. Internet websites that espouse militant ideology are also being shut down or blocked.
Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah told newspaper editors on Monday the government was also going to review religious schoolbooks as part of its battle with extremism.
Kuwait is a major ally of Washington but its militants widely oppose the US military presence in their country.
