Kuwaiti national sentenced to three years for joining ISIS and pledging allegiance to Baghdadi
The Court of Cassation, presided over by Senior Judge Sultan Bursali, ruled to reject the appeal and uphold the three-year prison sentence of a Kuwaiti national, following his conviction for joining the “Daesh” terrorist organization and receiving military training in Syria. It is worth noting that the Criminal Court had initially sentenced the defendant to five years in prison, before the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence to three years, with the Court of Cassation’s ruling confirming the latter penalty.
The Public Prosecution had charged the defendant with participating in the terrorist group “Daesh” in Iraq and Syria, with full knowledge of its objectives, which include spreading principles aimed at undermining the fundamental systems of states through illegal means. He was also accused of engaging in activities likely to harm the country’s national interests.
According to the case file, statements by a State Security officer, and the defendant’s own confessions during investigations, the incident dates back to intelligence received by the security apparatus indicating his affiliation with a terrorist organization and his planned arrival in Kuwait from Turkey on a commercial flight. Following authorization from the Public Prosecution, he was apprehended upon his arrival at Kuwait International Airport.
During interrogation, the defendant admitted that he left Kuwait in 2000 with his family for Pakistan, and later moved to Syria. He stated that he embraced extremist jihadist ideology at an early age and that in 2016, he contacted a Syrian friend who had joined “Daesh” with the aim of joining the organization.
He further reported that he traveled to one of the group’s facilities in the “Al-Tell” area on the outskirts of Damascus, where he submitted his personal details. He was subsequently summoned and transferred, along with other new recruits, to a camp affiliated with the organization, where he pledged allegiance to “Daesh”’s leader at the time, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to obey and follow his commands.
He also admitted to undergoing a military training course lasting approximately 30 days, which included instruction on handling and using firearms and ammunition, combat tactics, and intensive physical training. His enrollment in the religious training program, which was scheduled to follow, was halted.
He added that he later surrendered to “Free Army” groups after they took control of the “Al-Tell” area, and was held in custody for about 30 days. He then moved between several areas in Syria, affirming in his statements that he remained a member and operative of “Daesh” until 2019.
