Reports of a “James Bond style” gun, hidden in a small pen, have added a cinematic glamour to the investigation into Sheikh Athbi Al-Fahad Al Sabah in Kuwait.
But the Hollywood-style gadgetry may conceals an equally sinister reality.
The gun – with a trigger built into the pump of the pen – was reportedly found when authorities searched the home of Sheikh Athbi, a member of Kuwait’s ruling Al Sabah family. He’s been found guilty of plotting to publish Twitter posts including videos of judges receiving bribes – videos which the courts deem to be fabricated.
The gun was called an “assassination device” by Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai, and could complicate an already complex case against Sheikh Athbi. At the end of May he was found guilty of insulting Kuwait's Emir with six other men – including a newspaper editor and other members of the Royal family – after exchanging message on a Whatsapp group.
The case has provoked concerns over the state of freedom of speech in Kuwait, and the ability of those in power to purse brutal responses to personal slights. It’s a particularly disturbing example of Whatsapp – a private messaging application – being interpreted as a social media forum in the courts.
And while the report of the pen has provoked excitement over its secret-service stylings, some Twitter users have responded more cynically to the find, supporting Sheikh Athbi.
#عذبي_الفهد
— Khalid Al (@KhaledAlAl) 14 June 2016
كذب من قال ان الكويت دولة الإنسانية بل نعيش اليومين أكبر أيام الإرهاب القمعي الذي تقوم به أجهزة الدولة موجهة الى أشخاص معينة.
Those who say Kuwait is the country of humanity, we are living in the biggest days of repressive terrorism by the state targeting specific people.
حاولتوا انكم تقحمونه بخلية العبدلي لكنكم عجزتوا وبتعجزون اكثر واكثر #عذبي_الفهد pic.twitter.com/7vz6CHNZyL
— خليفه العتيبي (@al3tibi_khalifa) 15 June 2016
You tried to get him involved in Al-Abdali Cell, but you failed, and you will fail more and more.
اللي مضايقهم من #عذبي_الفهد انه ماتحزّب للحضر على البدو ولا على البدو ضد الحضر والاهم من كل هذا #عذبي_الفهد ( ماخضع للتاجر )
— خالد الحجرف (@abo7jrf) 14 June 2016
They got upset of #AthbiAlFahad because he is not biased, the more important thing, is that #AthbiAlFahad did not surrender for the merchant.
Sheikh Athbi and the other men involved in the case are currently at large, but this week Kuwait’s public prosecutor this week sought to extend the men’s sentence from five years to 29 – further raising concerns over restrictions on freedom of expression in the Gulf nation.
As well as his close connections to those in power in Kuwait, Sheikh Athbi is a former head of the Kuwaiti Secret Service.
