Faylaka Island attack

On October 8, 2002 two Kuwaiti citizens with ties to jihadist in Afghanistan launched the Faylaka Island attack against United States Marines.^[1][2][3] The Marines were on a training exercise on Failaka Island, an island off the coast of Kuwait. One Marine was killed, and another was seriously injured. The two Kuwaitis, Anas Al Kandari and Jassem al-Hajiri were also killed. They were reported to have served as volunteers with the Taliban, in Afghanistan, prior to the American response to the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The Marines rifles were loaded with blank rounds for the training exercise. But they were able to engage their Kuwaiti attackers with their pistols.^[1][4] The Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Prior to the 1991 Gulf War the island was a resort, but, in 2002, the war damage had not been repaired.

After the attack the Marines locked down the area.^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [1]}

They did not inform Kuwaiti authorities. They took prisoner 31 Kuwaitis on the island.

Guantanamo captives alleged to have an association with the Faylaka Island attack

A number of the captives held in extrajudicial detention in Guantanamo had their continued detention justified, in part, through a friendship or family relationship with the two attackers.

Guantanamo captives alleged to have an association with the Faylaka Island attack

isn	name	nationality	alleged association
196	Musa Bin Ali Bin Said al Amri	Saudi Arabia	One of detainee's aliases was in another hard drive believed to belong to members of the suspected al Qaida cell involved with the October 2002 attack on US Marines in Faylaka Island.[8][9] The detainee's name was listed on a computer seized from members of the suspected al Qaida cell involved in the October 2002 attack on United States Marines on Faylaka Island.[10]
226	Anwar al Nurr	Saudi Arabia	The detainee's name and other information was found in a 2 September 2002 "chat session" found on the hard drive of a computer confiscated from members of the suspected al Qaida cell involved in the October 2002 attack on U.S. Marines on Faylaka Island.[11] The detainee's name was discovered as part of information that was recovered from hard drives, which were seized from the suspected al Qaida cell that attacked the United States Marines on Faylaka Island in October 2002.[12][13]
234	Khalid Mohammed al Zaharni	Saudi Arabia	The detainee's name was found under a chat session on a computer hard drive seized from the suspected al Qaida cell that attacked the U.S. Marines on Faylaka Island in October 2002.[14]
568	Adil Zamil Abdull Mohssin Al Zamil	Kuwait	The detainee was invited to the house of a man involved in the October 2002 attack on U.S. Marines on Faylaka Island, Kuwait.[15]

References

1. Eric Schmidt (2002-10-09). "U.S. Marine Is Killed in Kuwait As Gunmen Strike Training Site". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2010-11-06. Retrieved 2009-07-31. The marines were conducting an urban assault exercise on Failaka Island, in the Persian Gulf off Kuwait City, when two Kuwaitis driving a pickup truck opened fire with AK-47 automatic rifles on a group of marines who were training with blank rounds, Pentagon officials said. The assailants were shot to death when they raced up the road and fired on a second cluster of troops, the officials said.
2. Stewart Bell (2005). The Martyr's Oath: The Apprenticeship of a Homegrown Terrorist. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-83683-5. Archived from the original on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
3. Dave Moniz (2002-10-08). "Kuwaiti gunmen kill 1 Marine in training". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
4. Brian Dakss (2002-10-10). "Al Qaeda Links To Kuwait Attack?". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2014-10-20. The two men — Anas al-Kandari, 21, and his 26-year-old cousin, Jassem al-Hajiri — opened fire Tuesday from a pickup truck on Marines engaged in urban assault training on Failaka, an island 10 miles east of Kuwait City, killing one Marine and injuring a second. After driving to a second location and attacking a second time, both Kuwaiti shooters were killed by Marines.
5. Erin Banco (2014-09-24). "UN Documents Point To Deep Links Between Khorasan Leader Mohsin al Fadhli And Al Nusra Front In Syria". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 2014-10-02. Fadhli, a bodyguard and second-in-command for a leader in the al Qaeda network, possibly Bin Laden himself, fought for the terrorist group in the north of Afghanistan. He had learned how to use firearms, antiaircraft guns and explosives when he fought against Russian forces in Chechnya. He also was implicated in an attack against U.S. Marines on the Kuwaiti island of Faylaka on Oct. 8, 2002. The Marines were training on the island and were attacked by two Kuwaitis, Anas al-Kandari and Jassem al-Hajiri. One Marine was killed.
6. "US Marine killed and another wounded during training in Kuwait". University of St Andrews. Archived from the original on 2014-10-02. Law Enforcement Response: Article focuses on cooperation difficulties between Kuwaiti and US authorities early in the investigation. 31 suspects quickly arrested - reportedly thwarting other imminent attacks.
7. Ashraf Fouad (2002-10-13). "UPDATE 3-Kuwait, U.S. to look into Marine death confusion". The Marker. Archived from the original on 2014-10-02.
8. OARDEC (2004-09-28). "Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- Al Umari, Musa Ali Said Al Said" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. page 8. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
9. OARDEC (2005-04-06). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Umari, Musa Ali Said Al Said" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. pages 69–71. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
10. OARDEC (2006-03-03). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Amri, Musa Bin Ali Bin Said Al Amri" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. pages 1–3. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
11. OARDEC (2004-11-16). "Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- Al Nur, Anwar Hamdan Muhammed" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. pages 47–48. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
12. OARDEC (2005-10-11). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Nur, Anwar Hamdan Muhammed" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. pages 70–72. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
13. OARDEC (2006-06-07). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Nur, Anwar Hamdam Muhammad" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. pages 49–51. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
14. OARDEC (2006-05-23). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Zahrani, Khalid Mohammed". United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
15. OARDEC (2005-05-10). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Zamel, Adel Zamel Abd Al Mahsen" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. page 42–44. Retrieved 2008-04-19.