Kuwait says it has arrested a number of people suspected of aiding two Kuwaitis who killed a US Marine and wounded another this week in what the Gulf state called a terrorist attack.
Kuwait's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammad al-Salem al-Sabah told reporters several groups had been detained, including people who supported the gunmen in Tuesday's attack.
The attack raised concern in Kuwait, home to 1.4 million foreigners. Westerners in Kuwait were already on heightened alert for fear of an Iraqi chemical weapons attack if the United States leads a military campaign against Baghdad.
Two Kuwaitis, both in their 20s, approached the Marines in a pick-up truck, stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire on the US troops while the Americans were conducting a military exercise on a Kuwaiti island in the Gulf.
Marines then killed the two assailants after they had sped away in a pickup truck, in which investigators found three AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition, US officials said.
One Marine was shot in the chin and stomach and died during surgery at an armed forces hospital in Kuwait City. A second Marine was wounded in the arm and was in stable condition after surgery, US officials said.