Suspect arrested in Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY -- A Kuwaiti civil servant confessed to opening fire on two Americans in Kuwait, killing one and wounding the other, and authorities have found the weapon he used, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.\nA Kuwaiti security officer said the suspect, Sami al-Mutairi, 25, was not working alone. And the Interior Ministry, in its statement, said he acknowledged following the ideals of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terror network.\nAl-Mutairi was arrested at the border with Saudi Arabia as he tried to flee and was extradited to Kuwait, the ministry said. His weapon and some ammunition was found at his workplace, according to the statement. It did not say where he worked.\nThe ministry statement said al-Mutairi became a suspect "in the first hours after the crime was committed."\nThe security officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said al-Mutairi was arrested by Saudi border guards Wednesday. The official said he was a Kuwaiti civil servant and the prime suspect, but that he "had partners, maybe two."\nThe official Saudi Press Agency had said border guards arrested the suspect early Wednesday and "the initial investigation revealed that he was the assailant who fired on the American citizens."\nEarlier Thursday, United States Embassy spokesman John Moran said the U.S. hoped investigators would quickly determine whether the assailants "have ties to any larger organization. We call on the government to do everything in its power to protect our citizens from terrorist attack and to prevent any further tragedies."\nThe shooting was the first assault on U.S. civilians in Kuwait and the third on Americans since October in the oil-rich emirate, where pro-American sentiment is usually strong and where thousands of U.S. troops are assembling ahead of a possible war on Iraq.\nIn Tuesday's attack, a gunman hiding behind a hedge ambushed the sport utility vehicle carrying two civilian contractors working for the U.S. military. The attack took place at a stoplight about 3 miles from the U.S. military's Camp Doha, which is 10 miles west of Kuwait City.\nThe survivor, David Caraway, was in stable condition Thursday at al-Razi Hospital in Kuwait City. His co-worker Michael Rene Pouliot, 46, was killed.\nCaraway, interviewed from his hospital bed Thursday on the ABC television show "Good Morning America," extended condolences to Pouliot's family. He said he remembered little beyond a barrage of machine-gun fire coming from behind bushes along the road.\n"Couldn't see anything, anyone. They hit us with the first volley," he said.\nCaraway said the road was not one he and Pouliot usually used.\n"These are the risks, you know, you take when you come over here," he said. "The war on terrorism just got a little personal today, that's all."\nNobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.\nThe U.S. Embassy said it was urging Americans to be alert to their surroundings. About 8,000 American civilians live in Kuwait, in addition to 17,000 personnel stationed at the main U.S. military base there and thousands of other troops who come for regular exercises.\n"We're always told to watch what you're doing, change routes often, be vigilant," said Shirley Gustas, an American living in Kuwait who attended a wreath laying Thursday at the shooting site. "But this was on their way to work. What are you supposed to do?"\nMembers of an organization representing the families of Kuwaitis killed during the Iraqi invasion in 1990 left a wreath at the spot where the Americans were shot.\n"We didn't expect this to happen, this is not an act of the Kuwaiti people," said Sharouk Qabazadre, whose father was killed by Iraqi troops. She said the majority of Kuwaitis support and are thankful to the United States for defending Kuwait against Iraq.\nThe government erected a billboard Thursday at a major Kuwait City intersection that read: "Much Obliged to America and Our Allies: God Bless You All."\nA second memorial service held on Camp Doha for base workers was closed to the public. The base is on a heightened state of alert and U.S. troops are only allowed off-base for critical business, a U.S. official said.