A Kuwaiti court began hearing charges Tuesday against 37 suspected Islamic militants who are alleged to have ties to al-Qaida.
The defendants are charged with being affiliated with a banned group, known as the Lions of the Peninsula. Prosecutors say they were plotting armed confrontations with state authorities and attacks on government targets. They are also charged with killing Kuwaiti police officers.
Eleven of the defendants have been charged in absentia. Most of those charged are Kuwaiti nationals, but several are from other countries, and one is a woman. She is the widow of the group's alleged ringleader, who died in police detention in February.
In January, four Kuwaiti police officers and eight suspected militants were killed in gunbattles.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
