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NO. 15954 44 PAGES 150 FILSemergency number 112FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 / SAFAR 8, 1437 AH

Al-Shawa Tartari Saleem

Khayat Baghdadi Al-Ajmi

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SYRIANS, AUSTRALIAN, EGYPTIAN, KUWAITI HELDKuwaiti police bust ‘DAESH’ cell

Kuwait raises security level around oil facilitiesBy Munaif Nayef

Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 19: In a new preemptive move against DAESH cells in Kuwait, the localsecurity agencies arrested a terrorist network consisting of six individuals including theirleader, identified as Osama Mohammad Sayed Khayat.

In a press statement, the Interior Ministry disclosed Khayat is a Lebanese residing in Kuwait and he was born here in

1975. He serves as terrorist communication coordinator and logistics support for DAESH. He administers a websitewhich he uses in supporting DAESH.

During interrogations, Khayat said he signed contracts to buy weapons and missiles (FN6) for DAESH and he is in constantcommunication with the group’s command in Syria. He revealed that he made these deals in Ukraine from where he shippedthe weapons to Turkey and then delivered to DAESH. He also prints stamps, designs rubber stamps bearing DAESH slogans,and transfers funds to accounts in Turkey and Syria.

He mentioned the names of his partners in the organization as follows: Abdul Karim Mohammad Saleem — a Syrian born

tennisPages 50 to 52

Missiles bought by the network for DAESH

A photo of the launcher

Photo shows the weapons

Newswatch

Schools on alertover ‘swine flu’KUWAIT CITY, Nov 19,(KUNA): Public schools areon alert after the discovery offour cases of the swine flu atfacilities in Hawalli andAdeiliya areas, said Ministerof Education and HigherEducation Dr Bader Al-Issahere Thursday.

Speaking to KUNA, theminister said that the individ-uals contracting the diseasewere currently being treated,adding that necessary precau-tions were undertaken to pre-vent the spread of the aliment.

The Ministry of Educationwill continue to coordinatewith the Ministry of Health,said Dr Al-Issa, adding thatschools with increasing num-ber of swine flu cases will beshutdown.

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China vows justice for slain hostageBEIJING, Nov 19, (RTRS): China vowed onThursday to bring to justice those responsible forkilling one of its citizens after Islamic State saidit had executed a Chinese captive, the onlyknown Chinese hostage to have been held by thegroup.

Islamic State said it had killed a Chinese andNorwegian captive, showing pictures of whatappeared to be the dead men under a banner read-ing “Executed” in the latest edition of itsEnglish-language online magazine, Dabiq.

It did not give any details in the magazine,published on Wednesday, about how, when orwhere the men were killed.

In a brief statement, China’s Foreign Ministryconfirmed the man’s identify for the first time,naming him as Fan Jinghui, saying he had been“cruelly murdered”. It said in September one of

its citizens appeared to be in Islamic State cap-tivity.

Beijing had activated an emergency mecha-nism to try to rescue him, but he was killed nev-ertheless in a “cold-blooded way”, the ministrysaid. It gave no details on how they might havecaptured him.

“The Chinese government strongly condemnsthis savage act devoid of humanity and will cer-tainly bring the criminals to justice,” the state-ment said.

“The Chinese government will resolutelyoppose all forms of terrorism and resolutely strikeat any violent terrorist criminal activities that defythe bottom lines of human culture,” it added, not-ing Beijing would strengthen anti-terrorism coop-eration with the international community.

in 1962 — is a weapons dealer with the company in Ukraine whofacilitated the purchase of mobile missiles and wireless communi-cation devices; Hasim Mohammad Kheir Tartari — a Syrian bornin 1984 who works in an undisclosed company; Waeel MohammadAhmad Baghdadi — an Egyptian born in 1974; Rakan Nasser Al-Ajmi — a Kuwaiti born in 1988 who supports those suspected ofinvolvement in terrorism operations; and Abdul Nasser MahmoudAl-Shawa — a Syrian born in 1987. All of them have been arrest-ed.

The ministry affirmed the confessions unveiled the existence offour other persons affiliated with DAESH and are currently outsideKuwait. These persons include Hisham Mohammad Dahab — anAustralian of Lebanese origin; Waleed Naseef — a Syrian bankerin Orfa, Turkey which is close to the Syrian border; Rabiya Dahab— an Australian of Lebanese origin; and Mohammad HikmatTartari — a Syrian born in 1980 who serves as external finance andcommunications coordinator for the group.

The ministry confirmed all those arrested, together with the con-fiscated weapons, were referred to the concerned security depart-ment; while reaffirming its intention to confront terrorist orextremist attempts to threaten the security and peace of this coun-try and its people. It then called on everyone to fully cooperate withthe security agencies for the benefit of the public.

The Interior Ministry has raised the security level around the oilfacilities and vital installations following information that theShuaiba Port was a target for attacks, reports Al-Anba daily.

Moreover, leave has been cancelled and those in vital positionsare required to report for duty even on days off and public holidays.Security precautions have also been taken by increasing the num-ber of security personnel in each shift.

A circular which has been issued says emphasis have been laiddown on checking the identities and permits of all workers partic-ularly those working for the contracting companies.

The sources added the circular also stresses on thorough inspec-tion of cars at the entry and exit points and increased number of

Sweden, Italy on alertROME/STOCKHOLM, Nov 19, (RTRS): Police in Italy andSweden tried to track down suspected militants and increased secu-rity around public buildings on Thursday after receiving reportsthat attacks might be planned on their soil following last week’smass killings in Paris.

Italy’s foreign minister said possible attacks could be aimed at StPeter’s Basilica in Rome or the cathedral or La Scala theatre inMilan. In Stockholm, police stepped up their presence around theparliament and main railway stations.

Both countries were on a high state of alert to guard against anypossible attack.

In Germany, Bild newspaper reported that a group of attackershad planned to set off multiple explosives in Hanover stadium atTuesday night’s friendly soccer match between Germany and theNetherlands, and to detonate a bomb in the city centre.

Swedish security services said they had concrete informationabout a possible attack on the country, days after the Islamist mili-tant attacks in Paris that killed 129 people.

Swedish police were searching for a suspect identified as MutarMuthanna Majid and distributed a grainy picture of a smiling,bearded young man dressed in dark clothing.

Tabloid Expressen said Majid was a member of Islamic State.Police raised their presence at public and strategic locations

around the country, including government buildings, foreignembassies and some media outlets.

Fewer people than normal were using trains and subways in thecapital.

“I don’t recognise my Stockholm,” Camilla Kvartoft, a newsanchor at public television station SVT, tweeted.

The president of Sweden’s council of Jewish communities, LenaPosner Korosi, said evening activities such as sports training foryouths were cancelled in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo afterdiscussions with police.

Over the last few years, Sweden has participated in NATO mis-sions in Afghanistan and is training Kurdish forces in Iraq, movesthat have changed its traditional image of neutrality.

In Rome, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said security forceswere working to identify five people suspected of planning possi-ble attacks.

The US Embassy in Rome said in a message to its citizens thatbig tourist sites, churches, synagogues, restaurants, theatres andhotels in Italy’s two main cities might be targets.

France confirmskey ‘DAESH’ kill

Nine arrests in Belgium

PARIS, Nov 19, (Agencies):The suspected Islamic Statemastermind of the Parisattacks was among thosekilled in a police raid northof the capital, France con-firmed on Thursday, bring-ing an end to the hunt forEurope’s most wanted man.

Authorities said they had identi-fied the corpse of Belgian nationalAbdelhamid Abaaoud from finger-prints in the aftermath ofWednesday’s raid, in which at leasttwo people died including a femalesuicide bomber after a gun battlewith police.

“It was his body we discovered inthe building, riddled with impacts,” astatement from the Paris prosecutorsaid, a day after the pre-dawn raid.The prosecutor later added that it wasunclear whether Abaaoud had deto-nated a suicide belt.

Abaaoud was accused of orches-trating last Friday’s coordinatedbombings and shootings in theFrench capital, which killed 129 peo-ple. Seven assailants died in theattack and a suspected eighth is stillon the run.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls brokethe news of Abaaoud’s death in par-liament on Thursday to applausefrom lawmakers who were voting toextend a state of emergency foranother three months.

“We know today ... that the mas-termind of the attacks — or one ofthem, let’s remain cautious — wasamong those dead,” Valls toldreporters.

Even before last week’s attacks,Morroccan-born Abaaoud, 28, wasone of Islamic State’s highest-profileEuropean recruits, prominently pro-filed in the group’s slick onlineEnglish-language magazine Dabiq,where he boasted of travelling acrossEuropean borders staging attacks.

The group, which controls swathesof Iraq and Syria, has attracted thou-sands of young Europeans, andAbaaoud was seen as a leading figurein attracting others to the movement,particularly from his home countryBelgium.

He claimed to have escaped a man-hunt after a raid in Belgium in 2013in which two other militants werekilled. His own family has disownedhim, accusing him of abducting his13-year-old brother, who was laterpromoted on the Internet as IslamicState’s youngest foreign fighter inSyria.

Before the attacks, European gov-ernments thought Abaaoud was still inSyria. “This is a major failing,” saidRoland Jaquard at the InternationalObservatory for Terrorism.

While quickly tracking him down

will be seen as a major success forFrench authorities, his presence inParis will focus more attention on thedifficulty European security serviceshave in monitoring the continent’sborders.

French officials have called forchanges to the functioning of theEU’s Schengen zone, which normal-ly does not monitor the entry and exitof citizens of its 26 countries.Hundreds of thousands of Syrianshave arrived in Europe as refugees inrecent months, including someonewho used a passport found at thescene of one of Friday’s attacks.

Early on Wednesday, policeswooped on the house whereAbaaoud was holed up in the Parissuburb of St. Denis. Heavily armedofficers stormed the building beforedawn, triggering a firefight and mul-tiple explosions.

Officials had said on Wednesdaythat two people were killed in theraid, including a female suicidebomber who blew herself up.Forensic scientists were trying todetermine whether a third person haddied. Eight people were arrested.

Two police sources and a sourceclose to the investigation told Reutersthe St. Denis cell had been planning anew attack on Paris’s La Defensebusiness district. A source close tothe investigation said the femalebomber who was killed might havebeen Abaaoud’s cousin.

The victims of the deadliest attacksin France since World War Two camefrom 17 different countries, many ofthem young people out on a Fridaynight at bars, restaurants, a concerthall and a soccer stadium.

Islamic State says it carried out theattacks in retaliation for French airraids against its positions over thepast year.

France has called for a globalcoalition to defeat the group and haslaunched air strikes on Raqqa, the de-facto Islamic State capital in northernSyria, since the weekend. Russia hasalso targeted the city in retributionfor the downing of a Russian airlinerlast month that killed 224.

The aftermath of the attacks couldsee common cause between Westerncapitals and Moscow, more than ayear after the United States andEuropean Union imposed financialsanctions on Russia over its annexa-tion of territory from Ukraine.

Russia and the West are dividedover Syria, with Moscow supportingPresident Bashar al-Assad andWestern countries saying he mustleave power to end a four-year-oldcivil war. Moscow launched airstrikes in Syria six weeks ago andsays it is targeting Islamic State,although most of its strikes have hitareas controlled by other groupsopposed to Assad.

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