After Terror Attacks, Kuwait Will Begin Collecting DNA

Recent attacks have caused tighter regulations across the globe—with some taking far more stringent measures than others

If you're planning on visiting Kuwait in the near future, be prepared to leave a little bit of yourself behind when you leave. Following last June's fatal suicide attack that claimed 27 lives, the constitutional emirate will require all citizens, visitors and expatriates to hand over DNA samples upon entering.

According to the Kuwait Times, security officials in the country said visitors will have to undergo either a saliva or blood test. The heightened security measure is solely aimed at fighting crime and terrorism and will not infringe on an individual's privacy or carry any genealogical implications, they say.

"DNA tests have proven very effective over the past decade and have been used in solving many crimes by matching biological evidence collected from crime scenes with databases," an unnamed security official told the Kuwait Times. "This law is the first of its kind in the world and Kuwait is the first country worldwide to apply the system."

Although their claims to privacy are a bit shadowy, security officials assured that those who attempt to use someone's DNA to disclose private information or forge documents could face up to seven years in jail and/or a fine of KD 5,000 (around $16,660 US).

Kuwait's latest security measure may seem like an overly strict, Gattaca-inspired move. But the country's law reflects an overall bolstering of airport security by states that have recently experienced terrorist attacks on their soil. However, methodology differs drastically across borders.

Take Brussels Airport in Belgium. The site, where suicide bombers killed 16 people in late March, has, according to Reuters, brought its capacity back up to 80 percent and introduced pre-check-ins by police officers to beef up security. However, rather than causing passengers potential existential dread for being on a government database like in Kuwait, customers in Brussels claim that the new measures have not only caused massive delays but have also introduced a new risk by making a large group of passengers gather outside.

"We are open to suggestions about how to improve the checks but one thing is clear, security at the airport has to be better than before March 22," a spokesman for Belgian police union VSOA told Reuters.

Other countries, meanwhile, simply increased manpower at the airport in case of further terrorist threats. At Jakarta's main airport, Soekarno-Hatta, the Indonesian government deployed 150 more police officers, 330 more soldiers and set up a network of 1,500, 24-hour surveillance cameras in the wake of a January 14 attack that claimed two lives in the capital's downtown area.

"The protection of these public transport facilities from terror threats should be guaranteed," J.A. Barata, a spokesman for Indonesia's Transportation Ministry, told the Jakarta Globe. "Terrorists always target such spaces."

Source: After Terror Attacks, Kuwait Will Begin Collecting DNA