After a horrendous Islamic State-led suicide bombing in Kuwait City in June that killed 26 people and injured 227 people, Kuwait has made it mandatory for all of it’s residents to have their DNA sequenced and entered into a national database.
Those that refuse to comply face up to a year in prison and can be fined up to $33,000 US. Those that try to provide a fake sample face up to seven years in prison.
Kuwait is not the first country to have a national DNA database. The U.S. , U.K., Sweden, and many other countries routinely take DNA samples from those citizens that are arrested in their territories. These samples are entered into a database that law enforcement use in future investigations.
This type of reasoning, and the umbrella of national security, is what Kuwait is using to justify its mandate for all of its residence to give DNA samples.
"We have approved the DNA testing law and approved the additional funding. We are prepared to approve anything needed to boost security measures in the country," independent MP Jamal al-Omar told AFP.
