"All Americans should maintain a heightened state of awareness during
the next several weeks, due to the fact that an explosive device was found
at a school and because of several recent bomb threats at popular locations
in Kuwait," the embassy said in a March 12 warden message.
The embassy has been working with Kuwaiti authorities in the
investigation of the bomb threat. The American University of Kuwait as well
as a major shopping mall were also the target of bomb threats.
About 15,000 U.S. soldiers were said to be based in Kuwait, the largest
American military presence in the Middle East outside of Iraq. Kuwait has
been struggling with threats from both Al Qaida as well as Iranian-backed
Shi'ite agitators.
"Make sure to follow instructions if ordered to evacuate a building and
make sure you know where exits are located in any building you visit," the
warden message said.
The message urged Americans not to touch suspicious devices and
immediately notify the police and embassy. Americans should also carry a
"small flashlight in case the power is not working in a building that
receives a bomb threat."
Eight leading Shi'ites have been arrested in the Kuwaiti crackdown,
sparked by a memorial for slain Hizbullah operational chief Imad Mughniyeh
in February. Some of the Shi'ites were charged with seeking to topple the
Sunni regime.
"What is happening in Kuwait is a clear threat [to show] what Iran can
do through its parties and followers if Kuwait became a springboard for the
[U.S.] military strike against Iran," Nabil Al Fadhl, a pro-government
analyst, wrote in the Kuwaiti daily Al Watan.