Al-Khabarani - The Saudi Ministry of Interior announced that the Hajj security forces apprehended 7 expatriates and 5 Saudi citizens at the entrances of the holy city of Mecca for violating Hajj regulations by transporting 33 violators who did not have Hajj permits.
The Ministry stated in a statement on Thursday that it issued administrative decisions through seasonal administrative committees against the transporters, contributors, and transported individuals. These included penalties of imprisonment and financial fines up to 100,000 Riyals, public defamation of the transporters, and deportation of the expatriates involved, with a ban on entering the Kingdom for 10 years after serving their sentences.
It also referred to the confiscation of vehicles used in the transport, legally, and penalizing those who attempted to perform Hajj without a permit with a financial fine of up to 20,000 Riyals.
The Ministry of Interior called on all citizens and expatriates to adhere to and comply with the Hajj regulations and instructions to ensure the security and safety of the guests of the merciful in performing their rituals.
The Saudi Directorate General of Passports announced on Thursday that more than 755,000 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom through its air, land, and sea ports for this year's Hajj season as of Wednesday.
The Directorate clarified in a statement that the number of pilgrims arriving from abroad reached 755,344 pilgrims, of which 725,297 came through air ports, 27,225 through land ports, and 2,822 through sea ports.
The Directorate confirmed that it has utilized all its technological and human resources to ensure the smooth and quick processing of the entry procedures of the guests of the merciful, by supporting the international air, land, and sea entry ports with the latest technological devices, alongside qualified personnel who speak several languages to provide the best services to the pilgrims from the moment they arrive in the holy lands.
