Abdullah Al-Yousuf and Abdullah Al-Dani Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Some 176 people, including 15 women, who staged a sit-in for more than 12 hours outside the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) in Buraidah were arrested early Friday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. "At 3.00 a.m. Friday, 161 men and 15 women were arrested after they refused to heed repeated instructions by the security personnel to end their sit-in and disperse," SPA said quoting a spokesman for the Qassim region police. He said the sit-in was “an attempt to rouse public opinion by exploiting the cases of a number of people convicted or accused of crimes or deviant activities.” The spokesman said the detainees would be referred to the authorities concerned to complete procedures against them. Steps are under way to hand over six children accompanying the detainees to their relatives, he said. The spokesman warned that security personnel "will not hesitate to implement the regulations and directives banning unauthorized gatherings, processions and sit-ins of all nature and firmly deal with anyone who violates the law." Meanwhile, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Senior Ulema and Religious Research and Ifta Administration, called on members of society to protect the trust and stand shoulder to shoulder away from (outside) influences. In the Friday sermon at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in downtown Riyadh, the Grand Mufti said, “We must learn lessons from those around us. We should be a Muslim society. Luring women and foolish people and those who arouse seditions are evil deeds that violate Shariah.” He added, “The nation of Islam is a trust on all of us. It should be protected. We should not provide cover-up to criminals and close our eyes to evildoers. We should be a strong barrier against anyone who wants to disturb our security.”
