US-Kuwaiti journalist detained amid Gulf crackdown on war footage

BEIRUT — A U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist has been detained for weeks and charged in Kuwait, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Tuesday, as Gulf countries crack down on people sharing footage documenting the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a journalist who has contributed to The New York Times, PBS, and Al Jazeera English, has not posted online or been seen in Kuwait since March 2, the press freedom watchdog said.

Hundreds of people have been arrested across the Gulf as states seek to limit the spread of footage showing the effects of Iran's attacks, including any damage or interceptions.

Journalists have also faced increased scrutiny for taking such footage and have in some countries been barred from taking shots of war damage or sensitive sites.

While authorities have cited security concerns, the press freedom watchdog criticized "increasingly tight censorship over the press."

"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," it said in a statement.

The CPJ said it emailed the Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington but received no immediate comment.

One of his recent posts included a geolocated video, verified by CNN, that showed a U.S. fighter jet crash near a U.S. air base in Kuwait, according to the CPJ.

He has also commented on videos and images related to the war, CPJ said.

"We call on Kuwait to release Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and drop all charges against him," said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah.

She said his case "reflects a broader pattern of using national security laws to stifle scrutiny and control the narrative."

The Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran's retaliatory attacks to the U.S.-Israeli military campaign launched on Feb. 28.

In the UAE, the Abu Dhabi police said hundreds of people were arrested for filming or spreading misinformation related to the war, while Qatar reported more than 300 arrests for sharing images and what they described as "misleading information."

Bahrain and Kuwait have also made similar moves.