U.S. Lauds Kuwait Over Spying Arrest

KUWAIT CITY —  The United States praised Kuwait on Sunday for detaining a Kuwaiti soldier on charges of spying for Baghdad and said the case shows that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein remains a threat to his nation’s oil-rich southern neighbor.

A well-connected Kuwaiti newspaper reported over the weekend that Sgt. Mohammed Hamad Juwayed of the Kuwaiti National Guard was working on plans to poison U.S. soldiers, assassinate Kuwaiti politicians and blow up oil and power facilities. Other local media reports have said Juwayed, who was arrested Friday, was born in Iraq.

“We commend them for their work,” U.S. Embassy spokesman John Moran said. “This arrest shows that Saddam Hussein continues to harbor aggressive intentions toward Kuwait.”

Iraq denied any link to Juwayed and said the allegations were designed to damage its ties with other states in the Persian Gulf region.

An Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement that the claim “can be considered as a contribution to provide a cover for the hostile American buildup in the region.”

Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in August 1990; U.S. forces drove Baghdad’s troops out nearly seven months later in the Persian Gulf War. Kuwait would play a crucial role in any U.S.-led war against Iraq because of their shared border. More than 17,000 U.S. troops are in Kuwait.