Saudi citizen held for sneaking non-Muslim inside Makkah
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Representational.
Riyadh: Accused of helping a non-Muslim journalist to enter Makkah, a Saudi national got arrested and was referred to Public Prosecution. Saudi law prohibits the entry of non-Muslims inside the city, Arab News reported, citing Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
A SPA statement said that the Makkah region's police referred the citizen to Public Prosecution. The citizen was complicit in transferring and facilitating the entry of a non-Muslim journalist who bears the citizenship of the United States of America. The citizen helped the journalist through a path dedicated to Muslims only, and the action was an explicit violation of the laws that prohibit entry to Makkah for non-Muslims, the statement said.
The person was arrested, and legal action was initiated against him, the statement added.
The Makkah Police's spokesperson issued a warning that visitors of Saudi Arabia must respect and obey the laws of the country, particularly those regarding Masjid Al Haram in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. No non-Muslim entry to areas prohibited to them will not be banned, and violators will be prosecuted, the spokesperson added.
According to the SPA statement, the journalist who committed the violation was also referred to as Public Prosecution. Earlier, news agency Agence France-Presse reported that journalist Gil Tamary sneaked into Makkah. Tamaary works for Israel's Channel 13.