Manama: Kuwait has pledged full support to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the clashes in Qatif that the Saudi authorities said were "instigated by a foreign power."
"Any threat to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a threat to Kuwait," said Shaikh Hamad Al Jaber, Kuwait's ambassador in Riyadh. "We in Kuwait, government and people, will stand with Saudi Arabia to confront it," he told Kuwait news Agency (Kuna).
According to the Saudi interior ministry, "a group of troublemakers assembled - some on motorbikes and carrying petrol bombs- and sought to disrupt security at the behest of a foreign country which tried to undermine the nation's security in a blatant act of interference. The violence started when police opened fire in the air to disperse protesters who had surrounded a local police station demanding the release of two men arrested earlier. Rioting followed with assailants, some on motorcycles, firing from machine guns and hurling Molotov cocktails at the police."
"Police came under gunfire as they tried to disperse the crowd. Nine policemen were shot and wounded and two hurt by petrol bombs. One man and two women were injured by gunfire," the Saudi ministry said.
Riyadh did not name the country it blamed for the assault, but observers have pointed to Tehran. Political analysts on Wednesday told Gulf News that Iran was deliberately sowing instability in the Gulf to send a message to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries about Tehran's influence in the region. In his statement, the Kuwaiti diplomat lashed out at the alleged foreign plot.
"We regret the incidents in Qatif caused by a group of trouble makers and we condemn the foreign interference," Shaikh Hamad said. "Kuwait's full potential is at the service of the Saudi government to ensure the security and stability of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he said.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are members of the GCC which also includes Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. The alliance members have signed an agreement on mutual defence against threats.
