Kuwaiti Duo in ‘boxing’ bout acquitted

14/12/2025

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: The Criminal Court acquitted a Kuwaiti man and woman, members of the Kuwaiti national boxing team, of committing acts of violence on board a Kuwait Airways flight. The airport investigation officer testified that a verbal altercation between the two defendants led to an exchange of insults. The woman then slapped the man, who responded by kicking and punching her, causing injuries documented in the initial medical report.

The investigation also confirmed that there were no physical damages to the aircraft or any indication of threat to its safety and that of the passengers. Attorney Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan, lawyer for one of the defendants, argued that the elements of the crime of committing acts of violence on board an aircraft, as defined in Article 32 of Law No. 6/1994 on crimes related to aircraft safety and air navigation, were absent.

He also emphasized the lack of actual danger to the aircraft. Al-Qattan pointed out that the actions attributed to the defendant—even assuming their veracity—fall under the category of self-defense. He pointed out the lack of conclusive evidence in the case file to establish a conviction, and that the incident was nothing more than a personal altercation, which did not affect the flight or its safety.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff