Kuwait's public prosecution has demanded the death penalty for 20 militants, allegedly linked to Al-Qaeda, who clashed with police in January, a newspaper reported yesterday. The prosecution also sought jail terms for 15 other suspects in a 2,000-page indictment submitted to Kuwaiti court authorities on Wednesday, Al-Qabas daily said, quoting unnamed legal sources. The criminal court is scheduled to open the trial of the group on May 24, the daily said. The 35 are allegedly members or sympathizers of a group named the "Peninsula Lions", which is reportedly connected to Al-Qaeda network. A majority of the suspects are Kuwaiti, but they also include Saudis, bidoons or stateless Arabs, and a Jordanian. Most of the suspects are accused of fighting four deadly gunbattles with Kuwaiti security forces in January that left four police officers dead and 10 others wounded. Eight militants were killed in the gunfights, while the alleged leader of the group, Amer Khlaif Al-Enezi, died in police detention eight days after his arrest on Jan. 31. The list of defendants includes cleric Sheikh Hamed Al-Ali, charged with issuing fatwas, or religious edicts, for the group. He has denied the charge.