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Authorities in Kuwait are flattening vehicles seized from crime

Sep 10, 2026, 9:19am EDT
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A tanker crushed by Kuwait’s interior ministry. Courtesy of Kuwait News Agency.

Kuwait is taking a page from Qatar’s playbook: When a vehicle is used to break the law, crush it. Authorities flattened 21 tankers and trucks seized in two cases involving the theft, transport, and resale of subsidized diesel. Some owners had knowingly leased their vehicles for the scheme, according to Kuwait’s interior ministry.

Qatar did the same for reckless driving two years ago, feeding a Toyota Supra into a car crusher after its driver was filmed doing donuts on a highway. As with the Qatari case, the Kuwaiti decision boggles the mind, especially when tankers could be used to ferry valuable crude rather than becoming scrap. Perhaps it’s a warning shot to our future AI overlords.

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