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Court upholds 5-year jail for ISIS supporter, acquits one

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KUWAIT CITY, May 1: The Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Naser Salem Al-Haid and including judges Saud Al-Sanea and Tariq Metwally, upheld the Criminal Court’s ruling which sentenced a Kuwaiti citizen to five years ‘ imprisonment, and acquitted a second defendant in a case involving charges of joining and financing ISIS, as well as creating a website to promote the group’s ideology. The first defendant is a soldier in the Ministry of Defense, and the second is employed as an assistant engineer.

The Public Prosecution charged the two with joining a terrorist organization, ISIS, facilitating communication among its members, and promoting its extremist ideology. It stated that their actions endangered national interests and undermined the state’s core principles by joining ISIS, which is classified as a terrorist organization under a United Nations Security Council resolution. The Public Prosecution stated that the first defendant confessed to all charges, admitting his support for ISIS and pledging allegiance to the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He also admitted to following ISIS-related content on various social media platforms, as well as initiating contact with an individual named Abu Amara, an ISIS member and supporter, via the Telegram messaging app in 2016. Abu Amara requested a donation to support ISIS, and the defendant responded by handing over KD 60 to an individual in Kuwait linked to Abu Amara.

The defendant also joined several pro-ISIS social media channels and groups and created multiple Telegram channels, making them publicly accessible for others to join. The first defendant said he met the second defendant in 2017 through Telegram after discovering the latter’s interest in ISIS. The second defendant expressed a desire to travel to Syria to join ISIS fighters. In response, the first defendant told him that the situation at the time made travel to Syria difficult and instead suggested going to Yemen to join the group there. However, the second defendant was unable to travel to Yemen, and their relationship ended in 2018. The second defendant also admitted to communicating via Telegram with several individuals affiliated with ISIS, most recently in 2024 with a man known as “Abu Amir,” with the intent of recruiting them to join ISIS fighters in Syria.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff 

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Woman Accused Of Witchcraft And Fraud Acquitted

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KUWAIT CITY, May 10: The Misdemeanor Appeals Court has overturned a previous conviction sentencing a woman to one year in prison with hard labor on charges of fraud and practicing witchcraft. The court instead acquitted her of all charges, citing insufficient evidence and flawed procedures.

The case stemmed from allegations by the Public Prosecution that the woman had defrauded multiple individuals by claiming to possess supernatural powers, including the ability to predict the future. She reportedly charged 300 Kuwaiti dinars per session and allegedly operated out of her private residence.

According to testimony from an officer with the Anti-Money Laundering Crimes Department, the investigation began following a tip-off from a confidential source. Acting on a prosecution warrant, detectives staged a sting operation using marked cash. After a session was conducted inside the defendant’s home and payment was exchanged, authorities raided the premises. During the search, items suspected of being used in sorcery were recovered, including a dried seahorse, paper talismans, bullets, incense, stones, herbs, and marked money.

In her defense, attorney Enaam Haidar argued that the search and arrest were procedurally invalid, the evidence lacked credibility, and the case was based on speculative accusations. She also emphasized her client’s consistent denial of the charges throughout the investigation. After reviewing the case, the Appeals Court concluded that the prosecution had failed to establish criminal intent or provide concrete proof of fraudulent activity, resulting in a full acquittal.

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Firefighters contain apartment blaze in Al-Raqi without major injuries

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Firefighters contain apartment blaze in Al-Raqi without major injuries

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze at an apartment building in Al-Raqi on Friday morning.

KUWAIT CITY, May 10: Firefighters successfully brought a blaze under control at an apartment building in the Al-Raqi area on Friday morning, according to the Kuwait Fire Force.

Fire brigades from the Shuwaikh Industrial and Al-Ardiya fire stations responded to the scene, where they swiftly began operations to combat the fire and prevent its spread within the building.

Authorities confirmed that the incident did not result in any significant injuries.

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804 Traffic Violations, 21 Arrests: MOI Crackdown Hits Sabah Al-Salem

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KUWAIT CITY, May 9 : As part of ongoing efforts to apprehend law violators and uphold the law, the Ministry of Interior conducted a comprehensive security and traffic campaign in the suburb of Sabah Al-Salem on Thursday, May 8, 2025. The operation involved the participation of several departments, including the Traffic Affairs and Operations Sector (represented by the General Traffic Department), the General Department of Rescue Police, the Central General Department of Operations, the Public Security Sector, the Private Security Sector, and the Women’s Police.

The campaign led to the following outcomes:

  • Issuance of 804 various traffic violation citationsn
  • Arrest of 6 individuals for violating residency and labor lawsn
  • Arrest of 10 individuals wanted by the authoritiesn
  • Detention of 5 individuals without identification documentsn
  • Seizure of 6 vehicles wanted by the judiciaryn
  • Arrest of one individual found to be in an abnormal conditionn

The Ministry of Interior reaffirmed that such campaigns will continue across all regions of the country to ensure law enforcement and public safety. The ministry urged all residents to cooperate with security personnel and report any suspicious or illegal activities by calling the emergency number (112).

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