Naharnet

Kuwait Court Jails 3 Islamic State Supporters

A Kuwaiti court has jailed three Arab supporters of the Islamic State jihadist group, in a first for the Gulf emirate, newspapers reported Friday.

The court sentenced a Kuwaiti to 10 years in jail for urging support for the group and also for insulting Kuwait's ruler in public.

An Egyptian and a Jordanian were handed four-year terms for helping him distribute pro-IS leaflets, local media reports said, quoting Thursday's ruling.

The verdicts can be appealed but the men are in currently in prison.

It was the first such Kuwaiti court ruling against supporters of IS, the target of U.S.-led air strikes in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

Kuwaiti courts are examining two similar cases.

In September, police arrested several suspected IS members under the Gulf state's commitment to the U.S.-led coalition against the jihadists.

Dozens of Kuwaitis have fought alongside rebel groups in Syria battling President Bashar Assad's regime, and a number have been killed in the conflict.

Source: Agence France Presse


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