Journalist detained over filming F-15 crash in Kuwait, activists call for his release

ALBAWABA - American-Kuwaiti national Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was arrested by police in Kuwait after he filmed and posted a video of an F-15 jet crash during the first days of the Iran war.

Award-winning journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was arrested by Kuwaiti authorities on March 2, after posting video footage of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle crashing near Kuwait City. 

The hashtags "#FreeAhmed" and "#FreeAhmedEldin" have been trending on social media as activists are calling authorities to release of the American journalist.

Newsweek reported that several journalists and rights groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have condemned Shihab-Eldin’s detention and are pressuring Kuwait to release him. 

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

In a post on X, the rights group wrote, "CPJ calls on Kuwaiti authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, detained under new security and fake news laws."

He posted a clip of a U.S. fighter jet crash near an American air base in Kuwait on March 2. The video, geolocated by CNN, depicts a jet falling out of the sky. 

Later on, the U.S. military confirmed three U.S. fighter jets, F-15E Strike Eagle fighters, were taken out in an "apparent friendly fire incident" when Kuwait shot them down. But the army said all six crew members were ejected safely, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed in a statement earlier.

Who is Ahmed Shihab-Eldin?

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin is a 41-year-old Kuwaiti-American journalist who has worked for several media outlets, including PBS Frontline, The New York Times, and Al Jazeera English.

He studied at Columbia Journalism School, where he later taught as an adjunct professor.