KUWAIT: The circumstances surrounding the illÜfated Jahra wedding have been unraveled by confessions made by the culprit herself. She is the 23ÜyearÜold exÜwife of the bridegroom who gave a full recount of the story during investigations. At one point, she burst into tears on knowing that the blaze killed more than 40 women and children. The suspect, however, told the interrogators that she only intended to mar the wedding celebrations. The culprit, only identified as N.A, said she wanted to take revenge against her inÜlaws because they had ruined her marital life and added that there were continuous differences with her husband. She also accused her exÜhusband of believing whatever his relatives said and pointed out that the idea of setting the tent ablaze came to her mind as soon as she knew the timing of the event.
She chillingly narrated the details of perpetrating the crime, saying she took a taxi to Jahra where she poured gasoline on the tent and set it ablaze before fleeing the scene.
Meanwhile, the death toll has risen to 45, with two more women succumbing to their injuries on Monday while 17 dead bodies have been identified and their families notified.
The Interior Ministry in a press release on Monday said: "The criminal has been identified and arrested within a record period of time." "A highÜlevel security committee was set up for the purpose immediately following the fire that was set by a perpetrator motivated by personal vengeance," it added. The ministry however did not disclose the identity of the criminal.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber AlÜKhaled AlÜSabah hailed the efforts of the newly established identification center''s staff in identifying the victims of the AlÜJahra blaze. He also thanked them for helping the families of the blaze victims in identifying their relatives'' charred bodies. In a similar development, the Head of the Babtain Center for Burns Dr Ahmad AlÜFadhli explained that the hospital was still treating the casualties with 10 cases still admitted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He added that four of them were in critical condition as 90 percent of their bodies have been affected, noting that they include three women and a fourÜyearÜold child. ÜKUNA
More details in AlÜWatan local
Last updated on Tuesday 18/8/2009
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