The wife of al-Qaeda's leading spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith has broken a two-year silence to claim her husband is not a terrorist and should be tried in Kuwait.
"He is with Islam and is not against Kuwait. He was an ideal husband who loved Kuwait and served it in the most difficult times, and if he made a mistake, only the Almighty doesn't," 'Umm Yussif told Al-Rai al-Aam in an interview published Wednesday.
Abu Ghaith, reportedly arrested in Iran along with top members of Osama bin Laden's network, was stripped of his Kuwaiti nationality in October 2001 because of links to the 9/11 attacks.
"He did not harm or kill anyone," Umm Yussif said, and added, "He's not a terrorist, merely a spokesman."
The daily said Abu Ghaith's wife pleaded for her husband to be returned to Kuwait, should he be detained in Iran, and not extradited elsewhere, "because he is a genuine Kuwaiti and his wife and children are Kuwaiti."
She described Abu Ghaith as a "Kuwaiti in spirit and loyalty" who "adores his country," and said she accompanied him to Afghanistan before the September 11 attacks. "I decided to accompany him to Afghanistan because he's kind and his intention was to help people, not only the Mujahadeen. As a good wife, I had to accompany him wherever he goes."
The mother of seven children said she did not see any other Kuwaitis in Afghanistan and that she returned to Kuwait in early September 2001, before the attacks, due to pregnancy problems. It was shortly afterwards that Umm Yussif saw her husband on al-Jazeera, after which the former teacher and mosque imam appeared numerous times threatening more “terror attacks”. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
