Legal experts say unauthorized use of metal, antiquities detectors punishable by law

Legal experts have affirmed that the use of metal and antiquities detectors without official authorization is a criminal act under Kuwaiti law, punishable by imprisonment, fines, and confiscation of equipment.

Dr. Ali Hussein Al-Dosari, professor of law at Kuwait University and lawyer at the Constitutional and Cassation Courts, explained to Al-Rai that detecting minerals underground constitutes an exploratory activity that can harm the environment and encroach on state property.

He stressed that no individual is permitted to use detection devices without prior approval from the competent authorities, as such matters are regulated by both the Environmental Protection Law and the Antiquities Law, reports A-Rai daily.

Al-Dosari added that electromagnetic devices used for detection rely on vibrations and target state-owned resources. “No one may own or exploit these minerals, as they are public property. Unauthorized use of such devices exposes the individual to legal accountability and potential imprisonment,” he noted.

Supporting this view, lawyer Dr. Mohammed Nasser Al-Otaibi highlighted Kuwait’s long-standing commitment to protecting antiquities, citing Decree Law No. 11 of 1960 on Antiquities.

He explained that the law considers all antiquities, whether movable or immovable, as public property of the state. Land ownership, he added, does not grant rights to excavate or dispose of antiquities found on or beneath it.

Lawyer Mohammed Dha’ar Al-Otaibi also stressed that Kuwait, as a state of law and institutions, regulates all related activities strictly. He confirmed that using antiquities detection devices without a license is a criminal offense, and unauthorized excavation is treated as an infringement on state property—punishable by imprisonment, fines, and confiscation.

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