Kuwaiti authorities have reportedly arrested a woman from the Philippines accused of planning to launch an attack in their country on behalf of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
Several U.S. military bases are located in the tiny oil-rich Kuwait.
The jihadist group is believed to be gaining strength in the Southeast Asian region, particularly in the largely Christian Philippines.
Abu Sayyaf, the most prominent jihadi group in the country, has pledged allegiance to ISIS. The group is known for kidnappings, beheadings, bombings, and extortion rackets. Other Filipino terrorist groups known to operate in the region have also pledged their loyalty to ISIS — including the Abu Dujana brigade, the Abi Khabib brigade, the Jund Allah brigade, and Abi Sadr.
The Inquirer, citing a statement from Kuwait’s Interior Ministry issued earlier this month, reports that the Filipino woman is accused of joining ISIS through its branch in Libya where her Somali husband who is also linked to the jihadist group resides.
She entered Kuwait last June as a “house maid,” reportedly said the ministry.
The Inquirer points out:
Security forces monitoring the woman’s e-mail found messages by the woman to the Daesh (Arabic acronym for Islamic State) group’s Libyan affiliate, pledging allegiance to the group.
The woman, born in 1984, had been using a “fake name and nickname to evade monitoring,” the ministry revealed.
According to the state-run Kuwait News Agency (KUNA):
The accused confessed … that she was ready to carry out any terrorist attack once circumstances and means were available to target a specific section of the society in order to undermine security and stability in Kuwait, as well as ignite sedition.
Citing an unnamed judicial source, Al-Rai adds:
The Filipino… was waiting for explosives which she needed to carry out suicide bombing attack in Kuwait…
The source revealed the accused used telegram app in her mobile phone to contact her husband in Libya. The husband also belongs to DAESH and he promised her that she will go to paradise if she succeeds in carrying out the suicide bombing attack.
News outlets did not reveal the woman’s identity.
The Inquirer points out:
Tiny, oil-rich Kuwait has been hit by a Daesh attack before. A suicide bomber killed at least 27 people and wounded 227 during the holy month of Ramadan last year.
Last month, Kuwait foiled three planned Daesh attacks on the country, including a plot to blow up a Shiite mosque, after launching raids that resulted in the arrest of militants.
Kuwait is part of a 34-nation alliance announced by Riyadh in December aimed at countering Daesh and Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.