The assailants, numbering up to 150 people and allegedly armed with pistols and knives, ransacked the studios of Scope TV on Sunday evening. They exacted around $1 million in damages.
The country’s public prosecution has issued an arrest warrant to Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Sheikh Faisal Al-Humoud and his brother Sheikh Abdullah Al-Humoud. The pair has denied they took part in the attacks.
“We will not accept an attack against anybody,” said Interior Minister Sheikh Jabir al-Khalid al-Sabah, in comments to the Arab Times newspaper on Monday.
“This is an offensive act and it is not in line with our customs. We are on top of the situation to forestall further degeneration.”
Scope has come under pressure for its satirical TV show Sawtak Wasal (Your Voice Has Been Heard). Officials have accused the show of fomenting revolution.
The spark was ignited however, when a presenter on a talk show accused a member of the royal family of being behind the accusations.
Following the attack, a lawyer for the defendants said that the royal family was planning on suing the channel over its allegations.
“We have warned a number of times before about the dangerous sedition created by some channels and corrupt media,” MP Mohammed Hayef told local media.
“The station that fomented sedition has reaped the thorns of what it planted.”
Although Kuwait is a democracy, it has a highly entrenched royal family who are quick to sue for defamation.
However, other lawmakers in the country have condemned the use of violence. Fajir al-Said, the owner of Scope, also hit out against the methods employed by those acting to defend the royal family.
“Even if they didn’t agree with something we had aired, there is no reason to use force to make their point,” she said.
Friends Read Free