Authorities arrest 77 for violating Haj j permit rules

Seventy-seven people were arrested for violating Hajj regulations on Tuesday after they failed to produce valid permits, Hajj Security Forces Command Brig. Gen. Sami AlShuwairekh said.

Legal measures were taken against them and they were issued with SR10,000 ($2,665) fines. Al-Shuwairekh called on all citizens and residents to abide by instructions for this year’s pilgrimage, adding that security personnel will bring forward legal measures against anyone who tries to reach the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the central surrounding area and the holy sites (Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafat) without a permit until July 23.

For the second consecutive year, the Hajj has been limited to pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia. The decision was taken to protect them against the pandemic. Just 60,000 of 500,000 Hajj applicants were chosen to participate in the religious event.

Those selected for this year’s Hajj had to meet a number of specific requirements which included having been fully jabbed against COVID-19 with any of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.