Kuwait dismantles 'terrorist' financing network linked to banned party

Government says those arrested were caught smuggling medicine and funds

Police in Kuwait have found evidence incriminating a group of funding terrorism, the country's Interior Ministry said. EPA

Members of a "terrorist financing network" linked to a banned party and using a pharmacy as a front have been arrested in Kuwait, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

State secret services caught the perpetrators attempting to smuggle cash and medicine outside the country to support a terrorist party, the ministry said. Police found evidence incriminating the suspects of funding terrorism and using a pharmacy in a private hospital as a front for illegal operations.

"Intensive field follow-up and monitoring operations resulted in the arrest of a number of suspects and the discovery of evidence," it said. No further details were provided about the activities of the group or their identity.

The network was aiming to “undermine the country’s security and to destabilise its public order. Security agencies are pursuing anyone who dares to undermine Kuwait’s stability,” said the ministry.

It added that national security and the safety of citizens and residents remains a priority, while those responsible would be held fully accountable under Kuwaiti law.

Authorities will remain vigilant against any attempt to compromise the country's stability or to support terrorist organisations in any capacity, the statement added.

Last month, Kuwaiti security forces arrested an Arab expatriate accused of planning to bomb houses of worship. At the time, the Interior Ministry said the arrest was part of its "continuous vigilance to safeguard the safety of our nation".

Kuwait has not experienced a terrorist attack on its soil since 2015, when a suicide bombing took place at a Shiite mosque in the capital.