Stories
Saudi Arabia Denies Grand Mosque Attack After Bomb Scare, Arrest Unrelated
- •Saudi Arabia denied any attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca following a bomb scare and circulating videos claiming an attempted suicide bombing.
- •The Saudi Ministry of Interior clarified that an arrest made in Mecca was for harassing passers-by and causing panic, not related to any attack on the Grand Mosque.
- •Videos showing a suspected suicide bomber being detained were debunked by authorities, who stressed obtaining information from official sources.
- •The incident occurred amidst ongoing conflict with Iran-backed Houthis, who have recently attacked Saudi cities, including Mecca and Medina.
- •In 1979, the Grand Mosque was seized by militants opposing the Saudi royal family, an event that resulted in hundreds of deaths before being retaken by Saudi, Pakistani, and French forces.
Key Questions Answered
The Saudi Ministry of Interior clarified that the security authorities arrested a person in Mecca solely for harassing passers-by and causing panic, explicitly denying any truth to online rumors claiming there was an attempted suicide bombing or attack on the Grand Mosque.
The 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque ended after about two weeks when Saudi forces, backed by Pakistani forces and French advisors, successfully retook the shrine, resulting in the death of hundreds of people including the messianic figure leader Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Qahtani, while leader Juhayman al-Otaybi surrendered and was later executed.
Saudi Arabia has been locked in a spiraling conflict with Iran-backed, Yemen-based Houthis who have regularly attacked the kingdom, leading Saudi authorities to accuse them last month of attacking Mecca and targeting an electricity facility in Medina.
