American Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Jailed by Major US Ally
Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was arrested by Kuwaiti authorities last month and remains in detention, drawing renewed scrutiny to free speech in the Gulf and to one of the U.S.'s top regional allies.
The journalist, who was born in the United States and is a Kuwaiti national, was arrested in early March, days after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran. Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior has warned against filming or publishing material related to Iranian attacks, and rights groups and news reports have linked Shihab-Eldin's detention to social media posts sharing footage and information about the Iran war.
Newsweek reached out to the State Department for comment via email on Tuesday.
What To Know
Journalists and rights groups, like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have condemned Shihab-Eldin's detention. "We call on Kuwait to release Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and drop all charges against him," CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said.
In an email statement, Qudah wrote, "We are seeing escalating censorship of journalists and news outlets across the world in relation to the Iran war, including in the Gulf. National security is being used as a pretext to crack down on freedom of speech and Shihab-Eldin's detention is emblematic of that. He must be freed immediately."
Activists are concerned he may be charged under new Kuwaiti security laws that aim to protect the "supreme interests" of military authorities, including the army, police and the national guard. New specialized courts to oversee cases involving state security and terrorism have been established by the government, according to a March 31 decree. The Kuwaiti government argues the courts are "necessary due to the extreme danger terrorism poses to national stability and peace," according to Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Wasat.
The 41-year-old is an award-winning journalist who has worked for a number of outlets, including PBS Frontline, The New York Times, and Al Jazeera English, and graduated from Columbia Journalism School, where he later taught as an adjunct professor.
It is not exactly clear what he is specifically charged with, though the CPJ said in a Tuesday update, “It is understood that authorities have charged him with spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone – vague and overly broad accusations that are routinely used to silence independent journalists.”
One of his last posts prior to his arrest was of a U.S. fighter jet crash near a U.S. air base in Kuwait on March 2. The video, geolocated by CNN, shows a fighter jet falling out of the sky in Kuwait. The U.S. military later said three U.S. fighter jets, F-15 E Strike Eagle fighters, were taken out in an "apparent friendly fire incident" when Kuwait shot them down. All six crew members ejected safely, the U.S. Central Command said.
Kuwait has come under Iranian drone and missile attacks during the war, with strikes and interceptions reported at the country's airport, military sites and critical infrastructure.
Former United Nations Human Rights official Craig Mokhiber called Shihab-Eldin's arrest "a shameful attack on press freedom, an act of arbitrary detention, and a gross violation of Kuwait's obligations under the ICCPR [International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]," in a Tuesday X post.
Press freedom in the region has come under increased scrutiny amid ongoing conflicts, particularly Israel's various offensives, as concerns grow over the targeting and detention of journalists. Shihab-Eldin has been outspoken against Israel's war in Gaza. CPJ reported the Gaza war as the deadliest for journalists ever recorded, with at least 260 people killed since 2023.
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights reported last month that it “received credible reports from various local sources confirming that the [Kuwaiti] State Security Apparatus has carried out dozens of arbitrary arrests of citizens who peacefully expressed their opinions on social media.”
What Next for Ahmed Shihab-Eldin?
Shihab-Eldin may be prosecuted in the country’s new courts.
The CPJ reports that Kuwaiti Article 26 “imposes prison sentences up to 10 years for anyone who ‘disseminates news, publishes statements, or spreads false rumors related to military entities’ with the intent of undermining confidence in them.”
Newsweek's reporters and editors used Martyn, our Al assistant, to help produce this story. Learn more about Martyn.
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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 2:12 PM.