KUWAIT CITY // Kuwait's interior ministry warned yesterday they will use harsher measures to stop anti-government demonstrators defying bans on protests.
The announcement came hours before a court released the opposition leader Musallam Al Barrack on 10,000 dinars (Dh131,000) bail. Mr Al Barrack was the subject of protests late on Wednesday when thousands of demonstrators gathered outside a prison demanding his release.
The group clashed with security forces and a "number" of protesters have been arrested, the ministry said, including a driver who allegedly tried to run over four policemen.
The ministry said one of the vehicles bore a "foreign number plate".
Mr Al Barrack, a former parliament member, is under investigation for allegedly insulting Kuwait's emir at a public rally on October 15. He could face a jail sentence of up to five years.
Kuwait last week banned any public gathering of more than 20 people in attempts to quash growing protests led by opposition factions that include Islamists, who are seeking to reclaim control of parliament in elections planned for December 1.
The outcome is seen as a pivotal moment in Kuwait's political showdowns.
A victory for the Islamists and their allies could bring even more pressures on the ruling family, which has so far turned back demands for stricter Muslim social codes in Kuwait.
* With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
