Riyadh –
A citizen Arab Saudi suspected of helping a non-Muslim enter the holy city Mecca has been arrested by the police. The arrests came after criticism poured in for an Israeli journalist who infiltrated Mecca.
A journalist Israel named Gil Tamary from Channel 13 previously posted a video via Twitter, on Monday (18/7) local time, which showed him infiltrating Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. Tamary’s actions clearly violate the rules that prohibit non-Muslims from entering Mecca.
As reported AFPFriday (22/7/2022), a statement by a spokesman for the Mecca Police quoted by the news agency Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the police had ‘handed over a citizen’ to prosecutors for alleged involvement in ‘removing and facilitating the entry of a (non-Muslim) journalist’.
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The SPA did not name the journalist in question, but said he was a US citizen. The SPA said the US journalist’s case had been handed over to prosecutors “to take the necessary procedures against him in accordance with applicable law”.
The spokesperson for the Mecca Police, as quoted by SPA, also stressed that all those who come to the Saudi Kingdom must respect the law and comply with applicable requirements, particularly with regard to the Two Holy Mosques and holy places.
It was emphasized that any violation of this kind is considered a crime that will not be tolerated and punishment will be applied to the perpetrators according to the applicable regulations.
Despite business and security contacts developing behind the scenes, Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel and did not join the 2020 US-mediated Abraham Agreement, under which Israel established official relations with two Saudi states, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Watch the video ‘Saudi Policy on Non-Muslims Banned from Entering Makkah-Medina’:
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