Death Sentence for Three Who Planned to Assassinate the First Deputy PM

The Criminal Court’s State Security Division, presided over by Advisor Nasser Al-Badr and with judges Omar Al-Mulifi, Abdullah Al-Falah, and Salem Al-Zaid, and clerk Sultan Al-Shajaie, issued a verdict in absentia sentencing Hussein Abdullah Al-Mutawaq, Hassan Abdulhadi Hajieh, and Abdulrida Haydar Dehghani to death in the case involving harming the country’s national interests, conspiring with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plotting to assassinate the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and joining the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist organization. The court also sentenced eight defendants, from the fourth to the eleventh, to five years’ imprisonment with hard labor.

The Public Prosecution had charged the defendants with committing offenses related to harming the country’s national interests, conspiring with a foreign state, plotting to assassinate the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and joining a banned group. The Public Prosecution clarified in the indictment that the first defendant had previously been finally convicted of a felony in Case No. 27 of 2017 (State Security Registry), recorded as Case No. 24 of 2017 (State Security Felonies). The second and third defendants had previously been finally convicted of a felony in Case No. 51 of 2015 (State Security Registry), recorded as Case No. 55 of 2015 (State Security Felonies).

First: Charges brought against all defendants

The Public Prosecution charged that the defendants intentionally committed acts likely to undermine the country’s independence, unity, and territorial integrity, by committing the offense described in the second charge against them and forming the intent to commit the offense detailed in the fourth charge, according to the investigations. They were also accused of seeking support from a foreign state, namely the Islamic Republic of Iran, and conspiring with it and with individuals acting in its interest, including the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist organization, to carry out hostile acts against the State of Kuwait, following the killing of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to the Public Prosecution, the defendants resolved to carry out the criminal activity at issue, which consisted of assassinating the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, under the direction of the first, second, and third defendants, with the fourth through tenth defendants carrying out the operation, assisted by the eleventh defendant, as detailed in the investigations.

The Public Prosecution also charged them with joining and participating in a banned group, namely the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist organization, knowing its purpose, which is to spread principles aimed at overthrowing the fundamental systems of the country by illegal means and to violently overthrow the existing social and economic order. They were further accused of agreeing to commit the offense at issue, following their commission of the offense described in the second charge, by forming the intent to assassinate the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and making the necessary preparations, such that no reversal of their agreement was expected.

The Public Prosecution stated that the fourth through tenth defendants met to plan how to carry out the assassination, dividing roles among themselves, with the eleventh defendant tasked with providing the equipment necessary to execute the criminal activity, under the direction of the first, second, and third defendants, according to the findings of the investigations.

Second: Harm to the country’s national interests. The Public Prosecution attributed to the first defendant and the fourth through eleventh defendants, all of whom hold Kuwaiti nationality, that they engaged in activities likely to harm the country’s national interests, by committing the crimes detailed in the preceding charges listed under Item One, as outlined in the investigations.

Third: Attempted use of explosives. The Public Prosecution charged the fourth through tenth defendants with attempting to use explosives in order to carry out an assassination of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and to spread panic in Kuwait, as documented in the investigations.

Fourth: Attempted procurement of explosives. The Public Prosecution charged the eleventh defendant with attempting to procure explosives in order to enable the fourth through tenth defendants to commit the crime attributed to them, namely, the attempted use of explosives to carry out the assassination, as detailed in the investigations.