Kuwait Court Upholds Three-Year Prison Sentence for ISIS Member

Kuwait's highest court has finalized a three-year prison sentence for a Kuwaiti national found guilty of membership in the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization. The Court of Cassation's ruling on Tuesday confirmed the sentence, rejecting the defendant's appeal against a previous decision.

The case file reveals the defendant was charged with joining ISIS, understanding its aims to destabilize nations, and engaging in activities detrimental to Kuwait's security. State Security investigations were triggered by information suggesting the man had joined a terrorist group and planned to return to Kuwait from Turkey. Authorities arrested him at Kuwait International Airport upon his arrival.

During interrogation, the defendant reportedly confessed to adopting extremist ideologies early in life. He detailed his contact with an ISIS member in Syria in 2016, leading to his travel to an ISIS headquarters in the al-Tall region. There, he provided personal information and underwent military training, including weapons handling and combat tactics, at an ISIS camp. He later surrendered to Free Syrian Army factions and was detained for approximately a month before returning to Kuwait in 2019.

The Criminal Court initially sentenced the man to five years, but the Court of Appeals reduced it to three years. The Court of Cassation's final decision upholds this reduced sentence.