The two assailants who killed one US Marine and wounded another today before being gunned down by US troops were Kuwaitis, the Kuwaiti interior ministry said, calling the incident a "terrorist" act.
In a statement read on Kuwaiti state television, the ministry identified Anas Ahmad Ibrahim al-Kandari, 21, and Jassem Hamad Mubarak al-Hajeri, 26, as the pair who opened fire on Marines taking part in war games on the Kuwaiti island of Failaka.
"This was a terrorist incident and the investigation is ongoing," the statement said, warning that the interior ministry will be on the alert against anyone who threatens the country's security.
The statement said the incident occurred at around 11.30 a.m. (9.30 a.m. Irish time) while US Marines were training on the island as part of the "Eager Mace" exercises now under way between US and Kuwaiti forces.
It said the two Kuwaitis, who opened fire on the Marines, were killed when American troops fired back. Unofficial Kuwaiti sources said the two men were reportedly trained in Afghanistan by Islamic militants.
US military officials said in Washington that two assailants armed with AK-47 assault rifles attacked US Marines conducting exercises on the island, killing one and wounding another before being killed themselves.
A statement by the Bahrain-based US Navy's Fifth Fleet said Kuwaiti authorities were questioning 31 civilians taken into custody as possible witnesses after the attack.
It said three AK-47s and ammunition were found inside the vehicle used by the assailants.
AFP