Kuwait court sentences 7 to death for Shia mosque bombing

Among those sentenced were one, convicted of driving the bomber to the mosque and a second described as the leader

KUWAIT CITY: A Kuwaiti court sentenced seven people to death on Tuesday, five of them in absentia, for their roles in a deadly Shia mosque bombing claimed by the Islamic State group.

A total of 29 defendants, seven of them women, had been on trial on charges of helping a Saudi suicide bomber carry out the June 26 attack, which killed 26 Shia worshippers and wounded 227.

Among those sentenced to death were one defendant convicted of driving the bomber to the mosque and a second described by the court as the "wali" or leader of the local branch of Islamic State. Both were in court.

Read: Kuwait mosque attack suspect admits being in Islamic State

The other five, who remain at large, include two Saudi brothers who were convicted of smuggling the explosives used in the attack from Saudi Arabia in an icebox.

The court acquitted 14 defendants and sentenced the rest to jail terms of up to 15 years.

Read: Pakistani trio among 29 charged for Kuwait mosque attack

The defendants included seven Kuwaitis, five Saudis, three Pakistanis and 13 stateless Arabs known as bidoon, as well as one unidentified person still at large.

An Islamic State-affiliated group calling itself Najd Province claimed the Kuwait City bombing as well as suicide attacks at two Shia mosques in Saudi Arabia in May.

The Islamic State group has repeatedly attacked Shia targets around the region.