Kuwait investigates leak of fatal car crash footage involving social media influencer

Fatima Almomen, 30, has been charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence

A screengrab from the leaked CCTV footage shows the moment before the fatal road crash

Kuwaiti officials are investigating the leak of CCTV footage showing the fatal road crash involving a popular social media and fashion figure in which two people in the other vehicle were killed.

Social media influencer Fatima Almomen, 30, was arrested after the collision between the car she was driving and another vehicle in Kuwait City shortly before dawn last Thursday.

She faces 10 charges, including driving under the influence.

Leaked footage of the incident began circulating on social media on Monday night and has been shown on some Kuwaiti news websites.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Ministry of Interior said it was working to find out who was responsible for releasing the clip, which shows Ms Almomen's vehicle jumping a red light and crashing into another vehicle as it takes a turn on a green light.

The ministry said it was "very keen to preserve the confidentiality of the procedures, to preserve all evidence and proof related to the case, and to take into consideration the feelings of the parties’ families in all cases and incidents”.

The collision happened at 3.17am local time, a ministry statement said. The two survivors, both of whom were injured, were taken to hospital, it said.

Kuwaiti prosecutors said Ms Almomen was detained for 10 days before her transfer to court to face 10 charges, including manslaughter and driving a vehicle under the influence alcohol or drugs.

The fashion and beauty influencer has more than two million followers on Instagram.

News of the crash and the influencer’s arrest has dominated public discussion in Kuwait, with lawyers and citizens calling on authorities to increase the punishment for driving under the influence.

MP Saad Al Khanfour submitted a bill to parliament on amending Article 38 of Kuwait’s Traffic Law to impose harsher penalties on those convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and other intoxicants, including a minimum of 15 years in jail in cases leading to death.