A Twitter user in Kuwait has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of insulting the prophet Mohammed, The Associated Press said.

Musaab Shamsah was arrested after the tweet was interpreted as endorsing Shiite beliefs in the Sunni-majority country.

His jailing is the latest among Gulf Arab nations in a widening crackdown on political commentary and other forms of expressions on social media.

In Saudi Arabia, three lawyers are facing trial over social media posts allegedly criticizing authorities.