Kuwait Court Sentences Three to Death for Spying for Iran and Hezbollah

Kuwait’s anti-terror state security criminal court on Monday sentenced three defendants to death for collaborating with Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, the Kuwait Times reported. The court also handed five-year prison terms to eight accomplices in the same case.

The verdict is not final and will be reviewed by the court of appeals, which is expected to issue a final ruling.

Charges Include Spying and Assassination Plot

The convicted individuals were charged with spying for Iran and Hezbollah, plotting to carry out aggressive acts against Kuwait, and planning to assassinate senior officials, including First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah. Additional charges included joining an outlawed organization and undermining national interests.

Some of the defendants were specifically accused of attempting to use explosives in the assassination plot. One of the convicts also faced an additional charge of attempting to smuggle explosives from abroad for use in the planned attacks.

Court Cites Threat to National Security

In its ruling, the court stated that the convicts attempted to undermine the security of the country, sow unrest in society, and shake public trust in the authorities’ ability to maintain law and order.

Kuwait, a Gulf Arab state, has previously uncovered several espionage networks linked to Iran, amid its cautious diplomatic balancing act with the regional power.