Kuwait a second: Arab country arrests man in joker costume for 'terrorising people'

Hababi posted a series of images to more than 182,000 followers on Instagram, as well as two videos in which he is seen driving while laughing in costume.

MENA

3 min read

The New Arab

21 October, 2019

Kuwaiti police did not find the Gulf state's rendition of 'Joker' funny [Instagram/EbraheemHababi]

A Kuwaiti social media influencer who dressed up as the character ‘Joker’ has been arrested by police for roaming around the streets of the Gulf state.

Ebraheem al-Hababi uploaded a photo of himself online, prompting the image to circulate widely on social media and eventually leading to his arrest.

Hababi posted a series of images to more than 182,000 followers on Instagram, as well as two videos in which he is seen driving while laughing in costume.

The videos were seen thousands of times and received hundreds of comments.

A security source warned "citizens and residents against committing any acts that would destabilise security and spread fear".

During his interrogation with police, the social media star said he was inspired by the comic-book character, who recently became a sensation with the release of the movie Joker.

Directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, the Warner Bros. pic’s global total stands at $737.5 million after just three weekends in release and is expected to exceed a staggering $900 million.

The movie follows the life and journey of failed comedian Arthur Fleck who falls into a state of madness after years of bullying and isolation, eventually morphing into masked super villain, ‘Joker’.

Instagram Post

Though it remains unclear whether Kuwait's 'Joker' will face charges, other social media influencers in the Gulf state haven't been so lucky.

In August, an Iranian social media influencer was arrested in Kuwait over allegations of "insulting God" in a comedy skit posted on his social media account, according to local reports.

Shahab Murtadha Ghafouri, a popular blogger with more than 1.1 million followers on Instagram, will remain in detention pending an investigation in Kuwait, a juvenile prosecutor said.

It came after lawyer Bashar al-Nassar reportedly filed a complaint referencing a video by the blogger, which was posted on social media.

The video shows Ghafouri, a Kuwaiti resident, clearly acting in a comedy skit with an actress in a hospital set.

"If you go to paradise, tell God to let me enter too," he tells the patient.

The video was posted on his Instagram account on 24 May and viewed more than 560,000 times.

The lawyer said he filed the complaint in order "to preserve religious principles and in an effort to put an end to such shameful behaviour" he told Al-Anba.

He added the defendant "made a mockery of the divine, which necessitates taking the strongest legal procedures".

If convicted under blasphemy laws, the activist could be jailed for one year, according to Kuwaiti law.

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