Illegal Haj pilgrims to be tried: Saudi official

Makkah - People who are caught trying to enter Makkah or the holy sites without Haj permits will be tried and sentenced within 24 hours.Illegal Haj pilgrims to be tried: Saudi official

A senior prison official has said that people who were caught trying to enter Makkah or the holy sites without Haj permits will be tried and sentenced within 24 hours.
“Verdicts of imprisonment and fines against illegal pilgrims will be issued within 24 hours,” Maj. Gen. Muhammad Al Anzi, director of the Department of Expatriates in the Directorate General of Prisons, was quoted as saying in a Saudi Gazette report.
According to the report, violators will be sent to the detention center near Al Shumaisi checkpoint along the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway within 48 hours.
Anzi said that there are many exit routes before Makkah and holy site checkpoints to allow those without hajj permits to turn back. But if they try to cross the checkpoints without Haj permits they will be arrested and tried.
188,747 stopped without Haj permits
Meanwhile the Makkah Police has turned back as many as 188,747 people who attempted to enter the holy city of Makkah without Haj permits, the report says.
The Director of Makkah Police Maj. Gen. Saeed Al Qarni said 84,965 vehicles trying to illegally enter the city were stopped. A total of 48 mini-buses carrying illegal pilgrims were confiscated, the report stated.
Director of Traffic Department in Makkah Col. Basim Al Badri said that no vehicle will be allowed to enter the main road leading to the holy sites from any service or a branch street.
More than 27,000 security personnel will be working during Haj to ensure the safety and security of the guests of Allah.

• Saudi Arabia
• MENA