Kuwait authorities identify mosque suicide bomber
The suicide bomber behind Friday's attack at a Kuwait mosque that killed 27 people was identified Sunday as a Saudi citizen who flew into the nation that day.
The bombing was one of three terror attacks on three continents Friday.
In Tunisia, investigators are searching for accomplices after a gunman killed at least 38 people at beach resort before he was shot to death by security forces.
In southeastern France, Yassine Salhi, 35, remained in custody as police try to determine whether he had traveled abroad before allegedly beheading his employer and ramming a delivery truck into a U.S.-owned chemical warehouse, police said.
The Kuwait Interior Ministry named the mosque suicide bomber as Fahad Suleiman Abdulmohsen al-Gabbaa, who was born in 1992, making him 22 or 23, according to a statement carried by the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
He arrived on a flight to Kuwait International Airport at dawn Friday, hours before carrying out the attack after Friday prayers at the Shiite mosque in Kuwait City, the country's capital.
On Monday, Saudi and Bahraini authorities said he arrived on a flight from Bahrain and had no background suggesting he planned to carry out a terrorist attack, the Associated Press reported.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry said al-Gabbaa arrived on a Gulf Air flight from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, at 10:40 p.m. local time Thursday and remained in transit for two and a half hours before boarding a connecting flight to Kuwait, according to the news agency.
An affiliate of the Islamic State, called Najd Province, has claimed responsibility for the attack in the Gulf nation. The Islamic State has called for violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Police have arrested a number of suspects in Kuwait, including the driver of the car that took the bomber to the mosque, and the owner of the house where the driver was staying, KUNA reported.
The government-linked Al-Jarida newspaper reported that at least seven suspects had been detained in connection with the attack, which has drawn condemnation from Sunni groups in Kuwait and leaders from across the Middle East.
Sunni-ruled Kuwait has a large Shiite minority. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, considers Shiites to be heretics.
The attack also left 227 people wounded.
Thousands of mourners on Saturday joined a mass funeral procession in Kuwait City for the dead.
In France, police said Salhi, a truck deliveryman and father of three with a history of ties to Islamic extremists, admitted to the killing of the manager of the transportation company that had employed him since March, the Associated Press reported.
Investigators have found no links to any international terror group in the attack near Lyon, the AP said. On Sunday, police escorted Salhi to his residence to try to find his passport and spent about an hour there, before returning him to the police station. The images were broadcast on French TV.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement Sunday saying she and Prince Philip were "shocked" about the Tunisia beach attack that left at least 15 Britons among those killed. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those of all countries who have been affected by this terrible event," the queen said.