A Kuwaiti court has jailed three Arab supporters of the so-called ’Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) terrorist group, in a first for the Gulf emirate, newspapers reported Friday.

A Kuwaiti court has jailed three Arab supporters of the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) terrorist group, in a first for the Gulf emirate, newspapers reported Friday.

The court sentenced a Kuwaiti to 10 years in jail for urging support for the group and also for insulting Kuwait's ruler in public.

An Egyptian and a Jordanian were handed four-year terms for helping him distribute pro-ISIL leaflets, local media reports said, quoting Thursday's ruling.

The verdicts can be appealed but the men are in currently in prison.

It was the first such Kuwaiti court ruling against supporters of ISIL, the
target of US-led air strikes in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

Kuwaiti courts are examining two similar cases.

In September, police arrested several suspected ISIL members under the Gulf state's commitment to the US-led coalition against the extremists.

Dozens of Kuwaitis have fought alongside armed groups operating in Syria, and a number have been killed in the conflict.