Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s police on Friday arrested a citizen who allegedly helped a non-Muslim enter the holy city of Makkah, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Public Security said, in a statement, that the Makkah Police referred to the Public Prosecution as a “complicit citizen who transferred and facilitated the entry of a (non-Muslim) journalist who holds American citizenship to the holy capital by following the path of Muslims”.
The Saudi security stressed to all those coming to the Kingdom, the need to respect the regulations and abide by what they stipulate, especially with regard to the two holy mosques and the holy sites.
The media spokesman for the Makkah police stressed that “any violation of this kind is considered a crime that will not be tolerated, and penalties will be applied to perpetrators based on the relevant regulations.”
He pointed out that the case of the journalist who committed the crime was referred to the Public Prosecution to take the necessary action against him in accordance with the regulations.
Israeli Channel 13 had published a report by its correspondent, Gil Tamari, who visited Makkah and entered it via the Muslim route, as appears in the report published on July 18.
The voice and image of the person who helped the journalist sneak into Makkah were distorted.
The journalist also climbed Mount Arafat, where Muslims gather during the Haj.
After this report sparked widespread outrage on the communication sites, Tamari was forced to apologize on his Twitter page.
“I would like to reiterate that this visit to Makkah was not intended to offend Muslims or anyone else. If anyone feels offended by this video, I deeply apologize. The whole purpose of this endeavor was to highlight the importance and beauty of Mecca,” Gil tweeted.
