KUWAIT City: Kuwaiti authorities yesterday released a prominent Sunni cleric they had detained the previous day after the United States put him on a sanctions list over suspicions he funded militants in Iraq and Syria, his lawyer said.
Hajjaj Al Ajmi, who had been detained at Kuwait airport on his arrival from Qatar, was released without charge, the lawyer said.
In their push to crack down on financing of militants in Syria and Iraq, Kuwaiti authorities also briefly detained another prominent cleric on Sunday, Shafi Al Ajmi, who belongs to the same extended tribe as Hajjaj Al Ajmi. Shafi Al Ajmi was later released without charge.
Kuwait has been one of the biggest humanitarian donors to Syrian refugees through the United Nations, but it has also struggled to control unofficial fund-raising for opposition groups in Syria by private individuals.
REUTERS
