JEDDAH – Around 1,300 pilgrims on board 26 buses were banned by passport officers from going to Makkah because they held fake Haj permits. The buses were stopped at a checkpoint in Riyadh and the passengers who hailed from different countries were asked to produce their Haj permits. Officers immediately discovered the permits were fake and asked the drivers to turn around and go back because they would not be able to complete their trip to Makkah. Over the past few days, more than 44,673 persons have been stopped at Makkah and Madinah entry checkpoints and have not been allowed to enter the holy cities because they did not have Haj permits. The checkpoints were able to accurately check Haj permits thanks to new directives that stated that all checkpoints in Makkah and Madinah should be supported with more passport officers. There are 12 checkpoints scattered outside Makkah. All people passing through these checkpoints are required to show their IDs and Haj permits. The checkpoints have succeeded in seeing through all the tricks used by some people in order to sneak into Makkah. Some people who were trying to get past these checkpoints on foot were arrested and banned from entering the holy city. It is expected the number of illegal pilgrims will increase over the next few hours as hundreds of people try to enter Makkah without Haj permits.
