Kuwaiti royal freed on bail in tweet case

Cairo: Kuwaiti prosecutors have released a member of the country’s ruling family pending further investigations into posting a tweet deemed offensive, local media reported.

Sheikh Fahd Salem Al Ali was released on a bail of KD5,000 after questioning him about a complaint lodged by the State Security Service, Al Anba newspaper said.

His release comes after a three-day remand due to the tweet that the Interior Ministry deemed “incriminated” although he had deleted it, Al Qabas said.

The paper quoted a close source to the case as saying that prosecutors are still investigating the case, which is expected to be referred to a criminal court.

“Deletion of the tweet does not exempt its writer from penalty,” added the source.

There was no word on specific charges raised against Fahd, known for tweeting on national issues including alleged corruption.

Some media reports said he had been arrested in connection to a tweet lampooning Kuwait’s Emir Nawaf Al Ahmad and that Fahd denied in investigations any intention to offend the emir.