– FAWAZ AL-OTAIBI

* Fawaz Tlaiq Al-Otaibi was an Al Qaeda operative from Saudi Arabia. He was in the focus of an alert, issued in Kuwait on 01/10/2005, that Al Qaeda affiliated terrorists were planning to attack the USA Embassy in Kuwait. The alert was issued when the father of a Muslim extremist Fawaz Al-Otaibi told police his son had befriended a group of militants and disappeared.

Few hours after the alert was issued, two policemen have been shot dead in Kuwait after pursuing Fawaz Al-Otaibi in Hawally suburb of Kuwait City by the local police. Fawaz Al-Otaibi then escaped into a waiting car containing a number of militants. After a short pursuit Fawaz Al-Otaibi himself was shot by other policemen and died two days later from his wounds. Other suspects managed to flee the scene of the shootout.

An ephemeral unknown organization ‘Mujahideen Kuwait’ took responsibility on the exchange of fire.

Further investigation after the whereabouts of Fawaz Al-Otaibi led to the arrest of further more 25 suspects, on 01/18/2005, members of a Salafist group (see – Salafiya). One suspect was a soldier with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence, four were Bedouins (men without a citizenship), one a Saudi citizen and the other suspects were Kuwaitis.

The investigation of those 25 suspects, their connections and whereabouts led, eventually, to the uncovering of the Al-Jazeera Lions network and the arrest of most of its members on 01/30/2005.

 

 

*********** ***********

Read more ;