Kuwait continues investigations into case of cell supporting and financing Hezbollah

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwaiti security sources reported that the Kuwaiti government is continuing to investigate a cell which was arrested on charges of supporting and financing the Lebanese group Hezbollah, adding that Kuwait will not tolerate what it considers to be support for terrorism.

In an effort to “cut off the arms” of the Iran-backed Hezbollah organization and eliminate any trace of it inside its territory, the Kuwaiti government announced, according to Al-Qabas newspaper, that the Public Prosecutor is continuing its investigation into the case of the Hezbollah financing network and has decided to prolong the detention of 18 accused individuals.

As evidence of the government’s serious intention to erase and remove any trace of the party, an informed source said that the recent investigations of the accused continued for 14 hours under the supervision of the Attorney General’s legal team. The source added that the investigation to determine the movement of funds, the path of remittances, and the accounts they reached is still ongoing.

The source stated that the case is classified as a crime of support for terrorism and stressed that the actions of the accused cannot be tolerated. However, the defendants continue to deny the charges against them and asserted that they were unaware that the money they had collected was going to Hezbollah. 

Days after Kuwaiti authorities arrested four individuals for financing Iran’s Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, investigations led to the arrest of a dozen others, bringing the total number of accused to 16.

According to Al-Qabas, a judicial team is investigating the accused, together with another team from the State Security Bureau. Al-Qabas reported that conversations found on the phones of the first four defendants led to the arrest of the new defendants.

The diplomatic row between Lebanon and several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, was sparked after footage circulated online from an interview held in August. In the video, the Information Minister George Kordahi referred to the Saudi-led coalition’s war against the Houthi rebels in Yemen as “absurd” and ”futile”.

In response, the Gulf states had their diplomats from Beirut recalled and expelled their Lebanese ambassadors.

Kuwaiti media reported that the government had also suspended the issuance of all types of visas to Lebanese citizens. However, a Kuwaiti security source explained that the government had merely tightened the granting of tourist and commercial visas to Lebanese but had not completely ceased issuing them.