400 pilgrims without permits By Eid Al-Harithy JEDDAH – Authorities in Makkah stopped 400 Haj pilgrims without permits from entering the holy city on Wednesday. The detentions were the result of routine highway and sea-entry checks at sites leading to Makkah, which also led to the arrest of one man in possession of 13,000 Captagon pills. – Okaz/SG 1.5 million bullets found in a truck RIYADH – Customs officials at the Al-Raq'iy border crossing have foiled an attempt to smuggle into the Kingdom 1,550,000 bullets aboard a refrigerator truck. Al-Raq'iy Customs head Abdul Aziz Al-Ne'aimah said the truck's cargo, the vast majority of which consisted of bullets for hunting rifles, was discovered in a variety of hiding places in the frame of the vehicle. Al-Ne'aimah said a further illegal cargo of ammunition was found in an SUV vehicle where officers discovered just under 3,000 bullets hidden in various locations, including the cavities of its windscreen wipers and between seats. The drivers of the two vehicles were handed over to the relevant authorities. – SPA Police sweep up 1,200 By Ibrahim Alawi JEDDAH – Police campaigns to round up illegal residents led to 1,200 arrests in eight districts of Jeddah over Monday and Tuesday. Officers patrolling the areas of Al-Balad, Al-Jami'a, Queiwza, Al-Karantina and other districts in the region set up checkpoints and conducted spot checks on persons working as car washers, beggars, and persons suspected of pick-pocketing and stealing cars. Twenty-two persons among those detained were charged with petty crime offenses. – Okaz/SG Teenage car thieves admit guilt By Tawfiq Al-Asmari BALASMAR – An undisclosed number of teenagers were arrested on Tuesday accused of stealing cars and joyriding. The group was reportedly responsible for a number of thefts which they carried out late at night using metal rods to break through car doors. A police spokesman said the teenagers had admitted guilt to a number of car-thefts and that investigations were continuing to establish their connection to a series of other similar instances. – Okaz/SG Fire at Mina restaurants By Hatim Al-Masoudi and Abdul Karim Al-Murabbi' MAKKAH – Firefighters controlled a blaze that broke out on Tuesday at a number of adjoining restaurants at Mina. The fire reportedly started at a fast food outlet close to the Jamarat construction site and spread to neighboring restaurants requiring the emergency dispatching of 19 firefighting teams. A fire officials said that no one was injured and investigations had started into the cause of the blaze, and urged the service industry to comply with health and safety regulations at the holy sites. – Okaz/SG Unattended car thieves caught, public warned By IbrahiM Alawi JEDDAH – Acting on numerous reports from the public, police traced a gang of car thieves also believed to be responsible for numerous handbag thefts and other petty crimes. The members of the gang, who were all of African origin, reportedly stole unattended vehicles left running by their owners. Jeddah Police spokesman Misfir Al-Ju'eid warned motorists to be more careful. “Don't leave running cars unattended,” Al-Ju'eid said. – Okaz/SG 100 bottles of booze in the back By Abdullah Al-Maqati DHALAM – Officers at a highway checkpoint at Al-Shumeisi in Dhalam uncovered on Wednesday 100 bottles of alcohol hidden in bags of flour. The cargo was found on the back seat of a small family vehicle driven by a resident of Arab nationality, who was taken away for investigation.
