Several Islamic State jihadist suspects held in Kuwait: report

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Kuwait has arrested several suspected members of the Islamic State (ISIS) group and is monitoring dozens more under its commitment to the US-led international coalition against the jihadists, media reported Thursday.

The Gulf state's secret service has arrested at least five suspected members of ISIS which has seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq, Al-Qabas newspaper reported.

Three of the men in custody are Kuwaiti and two are so-called bidoons or stateless Arabs, the daily said.

Al-Qabas also said the security services had arrested an unidentified number of Saudis suspected of links to the group, and that they were handed over to the authorities in Riyadh.

Citing a senior security source, the paper said security authorities were keeping close tabs on a long list of 134 people suspected of being in ISIS or sympathising with it.

It said that a judge on Wednesday renewed the detention of four of the five suspects for 10 days pending investigation.

The detainees are being questioned on accusations of joining an outlawed extremist group, fighting against a friendly nation and undermining national security, Al-Qabas said.

Dozens of Kuwaitis have fought alongside rebel groups in Syria battling President Bashar al-Assad's regime, and a number have been killed in the conflict there, as relatives have publicly acknowledged.

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