JEDDAH – A Saudi man has been arrested for helping an Israeli journalist enter Makkah city, Islam’s holiest city where non-Muslim are not allowed to visit.
The development comes after the journalist identified as Gil Tamary of Israel’s Channel 13 shared videos of himself visiting the holy places in Makkah, in defiance of a ban on non-Muslims.
His posts on Twitter had sparked anger on social media where users demanded the authorities to take action against people involved in it.
The official Saudi Press Agency reported that prosecution process has been initiated against a citizen for “transferring and facilitating the entry of a (non-Muslim) journalist”.
SPA did not share name the journalist but said he is an American citizen, whose case has also been sent to prosecutors “to take the necessary procedures against him in accordance with the applied laws”.
In the viral video clip, the Israel journalist can be seen visiting Mount Arafat, where Muslim pilgrims gather every year to pray during the climax of the Hajj.
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