Kuwait disrupts alleged ISIS drone attack plot

Kuwait has foiled an alleged ISIS-linked plot to attack a vital facility using a specially built drone and explosives, arresting a citizen before the planned operation could be carried out.

The Interior Ministry said the State Security Service uncovered the plan after intensive monitoring and surveillance. Investigators found that the suspect had received training in manufacturing explosives and drones and had constructed a drone intended for use against a vital installation. Authorities have not disclosed the facility that was allegedly selected as the target.

The suspect, identified by authorities as a Kuwaiti national affiliated with ISIS, was detained before the alleged attack could proceed. He has been referred to the relevant authorities for further investigation and legal proceedings. No casualties or damage were reported because the operation was intercepted during the planning stage.

The case highlights Kuwait’s growing focus on disrupting extremist threats before suspects reach an operational stage, particularly as commercially available technologies such as drones provide militant groups and individual sympathisers with new ways to plan attacks.

The Interior Ministry said security agencies would continue monitoring and confronting activities and plots that threaten the country’s security and stability. It also warned that attempts to endanger citizens and residents would be dealt with firmly under Kuwaiti law.

The announcement came a day after authorities disclosed a separate case involving two minors accused of communicating with people linked to ISIS and undergoing training connected with bomb-making as part of an alleged attack plan. The proximity of the cases has reinforced attention on online radicalisation, recruitment and the capacity of security services to identify individuals before planned violence materialises.

ISIS no longer controls the large areas of Iraq and Syria it once held. The territorial entity proclaimed by the organisation collapsed after military campaigns removed its fighters from their final major strongholds. The group has nevertheless survived through dispersed cells, affiliates and supporters operating across several regions.

For Gulf governments, the threat has increasingly shifted away from conventional militant formations towards smaller cells or individuals able to communicate remotely, acquire technical knowledge online and make use of readily available equipment. Drones are a particular security concern because civilian systems can be modified for reconnaissance or the delivery of explosives.

Kuwait has experienced the consequences of ISIS-linked violence before. A suicide bombing at the Imam Al Sadiq Mosque in Kuwait City during Friday prayers in June 2015 killed 27 people and injured more than 200. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, one of the country’s deadliest acts of terrorism.

Authorities subsequently dismantled networks accused of financing, supplying or supporting the extremist organisation. Security around religious sites and other sensitive locations was also tightened as Kuwait sought to prevent sectarian violence and disrupt recruitment networks.

Another alleged ISIS plot was uncovered in 2024 when Kuwaiti authorities arrested two citizens and three Tunisian nationals over plans said to involve attacks against Shiite places of worship. The investigations illustrated the continuing risk posed by sympathisers despite the organisation’s territorial defeat.

The latest case also reflects a broader change in extremist tactics. Instead of requiring large quantities of weapons or centrally organised teams, potential attackers can attempt to combine remote instruction with commercially accessible technology. Security agencies across the region have consequently expanded surveillance of digital communications, suspicious financial activity and attempts to obtain materials that could be adapted for attacks.

Kuwait’s location and strategic importance add to the security challenge. The country hosts major energy infrastructure, ports, transport facilities and military installations, making protection of critical sites a central part of national security planning.

Authorities have given no indication that the suspect managed to place explosives at the unidentified facility or approach it with the drone. Details of how the alleged ISIS relationship was established, where the suspect received training and whether other people assisted him have also not been made public.