One of Kuwait’s biggest fashion creators has been detained after a car crash that left two people dead and two injured.
Local media initially cited a “fashionista” with a significant social media following as the driver involved in the accident, but subsequent reports named the driver as influencer Fatima Al-Momen. The two-vehicle collision happened in the early hours of Thursday morning (24 August), after Al-Momen’s Bentley appeared to run a red light.
The Ministry of Interior of the Gulf later confirmed that Al-Momen was speeding, her licence was expired, and she and her passenger were under the influence of “intoxicating substances”. Other local media reports have stated that Al-Momen was also under the influence of drugs, and that three people died in the crash, but neither of these statements have been confirmed by Kuwait officials.
Indicted on 10 charges
Alcohol is strictly forbidden for Kuwaiti residents. Driving under the influence of alcohol – or drugs – is punishable by fines, imprisonment, deportation, or confiscation of your driving licence.
A formal investigation is ongoing and is expected to wrap up within a week. Al-Momen will be detained for ten days ahead of appearing in court. She has been indicted on ten charges: manslaughter, accidental injury, driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, speeding, passing a red light, reckless driving, driving with invalid insurance, driving without a vehicle licence, and damaging both public property and the property of others.
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Al-Momen is an architect turned fashion influencer who has shared luxury content on Instagram since 2014. She currently boasts more than two million followers on Instagram and has worked with the likes of Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and Cartier.
She previously starred in the E! Entertainment series My Fabulous M.E., which saw a selection of influencers from the Middle East offer insight into life in their respective cities, and was selected by Dolce & Gabbana as one of its ten faces from the region to celebrate the opening of its Dubai Mall store.
Al-Momen’s sisters – Smood Almomen and Maryam Almomen – are also well-known creators, with the latter working as a lawyer and specialising in legal content. Comments are currently restricted on the Instagram accounts of all three sisters.
By Chloe James, CORQ Middle East correspondent. Picture credit: Fatima Al-Momen via Instagram
