The 32-year-old Faisal was identified as a senior military intelligence
officer. At this point, nobody else has been linked to Basel's death.
Basel, the 52-year-old grandson of the late Emir Sabah Al Salem Al
Sabah, was buried in a family plot on June 19 in a funeral attended by
leaders of the sheikdom. The current emir was said to have ordered an
aircraft to return senior princes who were on vacation abroad.
The killing was said to have highlighted divisions within the ruling Al
Sabah family, which contains two rival wings. Kuwaiti media reports said
Basel and Faisal had been partners in one of several business deals,
including luxury cars and a drag racing club.
Basel was said to have introduced drag racing to Kuwait, a major
non-NATO ally of the United States and a key waystation for the American
military withdrawal from neighboring Iraq. Over the last few months, the
prince had been lobbying for the construction of a race track.
Until 2001, Basel was a senior official in the Kuwaiti government. He
served in the Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry until
he was sidelined by unidentified health problems.
The opposition in parliament has accused senior members of the royal
family of soliciting bribes for major contracts in Kuwait. Parliamentarians
said several princes have become silent partners in defense and energy
projects awarded to foreign contractors.
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