deployed to oversee the annual Haj pilgrimage that begins
on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry.
Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the ministry,
said among those securing the massive crowds during Haj
are members of an elite counterterrorism unit, traffic police
and emergency civil defense personnel.
They are being supported by additional troops from the
army and national guard.
The pilgrimage comes amid concerns over threats posed by
terrorist groups.
Al-Turki vowed in an interview with The Associated Press
that militants “cannot control a centimeter anywhere in
Saudi Arabia.”
This year’s Haj is expected to draw up to 2 million pilgrims
from around the world.
Local media, meanwhile, reported that some 460 pilgrims
from GCC countries have been denied entry at the Batha
border point in the Ahsa Province because they were
carrying forged Haj permits.
Col. Mualla Al-Otaibi, spokesman of the Eastern Province
Passport Department, told Al-Watan daily the pilgrims were
sent back to their countries.
Some of these Hajis, however, alleged that they had fallen
victim to scams of illegal operators in their countries who
provided them with forged Haj permits. They said passport
employees at the Batha border point discovered the forged
permits.
The Hajis arrived at the Batha border point over a five-day
period in a number of buses, according to the report.
They said more people had fallen victims to the scam, but
their journeys have not started yet.
The pilgrims are disappointed that they cannot perform Haj
this year. They hope to get their money back and are
seeking punitive action against the illegal operators.
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