KHAMIS MUSHAYT: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai'a) has detained an African man who was reportedly prolific in convincing people to part with money in exchange for his “supernatural” services. The man was reported to the Hai'a by a member of the public who informed them of a deal involving the use of “red mercury” — a substance which international authorities insist does not exist but which popular belief claims can be used for supernatural purposes — and officials moved in at a block of furnished apartments to make the arrest. The Hai'a found a red liquid at the site, along with a white-colored gum, the identity card of a deceased person and the suspect's mobile telephone which contained the names of clients. Officials said they believed the man is from either Senegal or Nigeria and that he traveled among towns and villages around Khamis Mushayt and also had clients in Jeddah.
