Shoppers had to be evacuated after a fire broke out in Joe Mall caused by an electrical error. Riyadh Civil Defense spokesman Capt. Mohammad Al-Hamady said firemen evacuated the shoppers and extinguished the fire. The fire started at a store in the second floor of the building. It covered an area of 1,500 sq. meters but only 300 sq. meters of the premises was damaged. Safety of the building was ensured before shoppers were allowed in again. Woman held for smuggling alcohol JEDDAH — An Asian woman was arrested for attempting to smuggle alcohol through Jeddah's main airport. Abdullah Al-Falai, Custom Control director at King Abdulaziz International Airport, said the woman hid five bottles of alcohol underneath her abaya (black clothes worn by some Muslim women). The women staff at the Custom Control felt suspicious of the way the woman walked and the way her clothes were worn. They inspected her and easily found the bottles of alcohol in pockets she had specifically designed for the smuggling attempt. Two safes hauled from sea bottom JAZAN — The police hauled up two safes belonging to a store in Farasan Island after it was thrown in the sea. Jazan Police spokesman Lt. Gen. Mohammad Al-Harby said the police received reports of a stolen safe which contained SR150,000 last week. After thorough investigation, the police were able to arrest one of the thieves. The thief, an Asian, had SR71,450 in his pockets. Later on, the police arrested four more Asians and two underage boys who were involved in the theft and they had a total of SR31,000 of the stolen money. The thieves confessed that they threw the safes in the sea. The police formed an scuba diving team that went deep into the sea to retrieve the safes. Prison for posting anti-govt content RIYADH — A Saudi man was awarded six years in prison and 80 lashes for posting anti-government content while on drugs. A Penal Court reported that the man was tried for posting a YouTube video of himself enticing the people against the King while under the influence of hashish. The court also banned him from travel for six years after his release. Iranians executed for smuggling drugs DAMMAM — Three Iranians were executed on Sunday for smuggling a large amount of hashish into the Kingdom. Nabi Bakhsh Jous, Mohammad Akram Balouj and Uomid Bolidah were executed after they were found guilty of smuggling large amounts of hashish into the Kingdom through the sea, the Ministry of Interior said. The Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court upheld death sentence for all three. — Okaz/Saudi Gazette
