Kuwait official defends decision to extradite 8 Egyptians

A Kuwaiti official has defended his country’s decision to hand over eight Egyptian nationals to Egypt over their alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah told reporters that the Kuwaiti move was based on an “extradition agreement” between the two countries.

The state news agency KUNA quoted Jarallah as saying that his country’s security cooperation with Egypt “is very high. We are satisfied with this cooperation because … we realize the security of Egypt and Kuwait were linked.”

READ: Kuwait extradites Egyptians to Cairo for ‘Muslim Brotherhood links’

Al-Jarallah expressed regret that Egyptian nationals who were wanted by their country’s authorities were present in Kuwait.

Asked by reporters whether his country considers the Muslim Brotherhood to be a “terrorist” organisation, Al-Jarallah said Kuwait has not declared the Brotherhood a terrorist group. “This position has already been made public,” according to KUNA.

Egypt outlawed the Brotherhood and designated it a “terrorist” group in 2013 following a bloody military coup in which the country’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi, who hailed from the group, was forced out of office.