Kuwait announced that their ruling emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah passed away on Saturday.
The country’s state television broke into programming with Quranic verses before it announced the death of the 86-year-old ruler.
The minister of his emiri court, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Sabah, read the short statement: “With great sadness and sorrow, we — the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world — mourn the late His Highness the emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away to his Lord today.”
The authorities did not disclose the sheikh’s cause of death.
Last month, the emir was admitted to the hospital due to an emergency health problem, which was what the state news agency reported at the time but reassured that he was in stable condition.
His 83-year-old half-brother and the country’s deputy ruler, Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber, is said to be the world’s oldest crown prince and is in line to take over as Kuwait’s next ruler.
