Kuwaiti Suspects Recant
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Six Kuwaitis arrested for the attack on US Marines are recanting their confessions, saying they were beaten by police.
The young men, including a 17-year-old suspect, said they had nothing to do with the Oct. 8 attack by two Muslim fundamentalist Kuwaitis but had to confess because they were beaten or “mistreated” by police, the attorney, Najib al-Wugayyan, told The Associated Press.
The suspects have not been formally charged or referred to trial, but they were questioned Saturday by a judge to decide whether they should be released on bail. He ruled their detention should be extended while prosecution finished investigating the case.
Police officials were not immediately available to comment about the alleged beatings. In the past, police have rarely responded when asked about frequent reports of mistreatment of criminal suspects.
Five of the six suspects are members of the al-Kandari family, close or distant relatives of Anas al-Kandari, one of the two attackers who shot at the U.S. Marines while they trained on Failaka, an island off Kuwait’s coast.