Saudi Arabia arrests 936 people for illegally entering holy sites during Hajj
Saudi authorities have confirmed the arrest of 936 people trying to enter holy sites without permission during the Hajj in violation of the code of conduct.
According to the media reports, security officials have taken immediate action against all of them and fines will be imposed on them.
The Interior Ministry had been warning people since last month that a fine of 10,000 riyals would be imposed for going to the Holy sites without a permit, while the fine would be doubled for those who violated it again.
The restriction remains in place until the end of Sunday to ensure a safe scaled-down Haj held amid COVID-19 fears.
Violations are punishable by a fine of SR10,000 that will be doubled in case of repetition.
The Kingdom had announced in June that it will only allow a “limited” number of people (10,000) to perform Hajj this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that those individuals will be of different nationalities but already residing in the Kingdom.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime. Approximately, 2.5 million pilgrims typically visit the holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for the week-long Hajj.
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