U.S. CITIZEN & JOURNALIST HELD FOR 6 WEEKS. WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?

For six weeks—since March 3, 2026—award-winning journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a dual Kuwaiti-American citizen and veteran of VICE, HuffPost, and Al Jazeera, has been detained in Kuwait as he visited family.
His detention only came to light publicly today.
Reports indicate Kuwaiti authorities arrested Ahmed after he posted material related to the downing of U.S. aircraft over Kuwait near a U.S. air base. He is an American citizen, and now that his detention is public, the White House and U.S. Department of State should move with urgency and press for his release.

“Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been sitting in detention in Kuwait since March 3, and the public is only learning about it now,” said Abed Ayoub, National Executive Director of ADC. “He is a U.S. citizen and a journalist, which raises serious concerns about speech, press freedom, and the treatment of Americans abroad. His detention demands immediate public action from the White House and the State Department, and there should be no ambiguity about that.”

Ahmed’s detention will resonate deeply across Arab American communities, especially among journalists, advocates, and public voices who speak openly about Palestine, U.S. foreign policy, and war in the region. Cases like this carry consequences far beyond one person, especially when an American is detained over speech-related allegations and the facts remain obscured for weeks.

ADC urges the White House and the U.S. Department of State to act immediately and publicly to secure

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin’s release and press for any charges against him to be dropped in full.