Incident Summary:

06/26/2015: A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vest at the Imam Sadiq Mosque in Sawaber neighborhood, Kuwait city, Asimah governorate, Kuwait. In addition to the bomber, 27 people were killed and 227 others were injured in the blast. The Najd Province of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident and stated that the mosque was targeted for spreading Shia teachings among Sunnis.

GTD ID:
201506260001

When:
2015-06-26

Country:
Kuwait

Region:
Middle East & North Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Asimah

City:
Kuwait

Location Details:
The incident occurred in the Sawaber neighborhood.

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Bombing/Explosion
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Religious Figures/Institutions
Name of Entity Imam Sadiq Mosque
Specific Description Mosque
Nationality of Target Kuwait
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Suicide (carried bodily by human being)
Weapon Details
An explosives-laden vest was used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?Yes
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information Casualty figures for this incident conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the majority reliable estimates are reported here.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Najd Province of the Islamic State Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 1
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 28 Fatalities / 227 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 28
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 1
Total Number of Injured 227
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"2 Indians among 26 killed in suicide attack in Kuwait mosque," Philippines News Agency, June 28, 2015.
"Kuwait says mosque bomber was Saudi," Xinhua General News Service, June 28, 2015.
"ISIL claims responsibility for Kuwait Shia mosque blast," Al Jazeera Online, June 27, 2015.