Saudi man in ‘abnormal’ condition drives car into Mecca’s Grand Mosque: report
A Saudi man crashed his car into the gates of Mecca’s Grand Mosque late Friday, according to state-run media.
The man was in an “abnormal” state when authorities arrested him inside and he was referred to prosecutors for potential charges, said the Saudi Press Agency, The Associated Press reports.
The man sped through a barrier around 10:30 p.m. local time and continued to drive until he hit the gate on the southern side of the holiest site in Islam, which houses the Kaaba, prayed toward five times daily by observant Muslims.
People continued to visit the Kaaba before and after Friday’s incident, according to footage shown on the state-run satellite channel Quran TV.
The mosque started its gradual reopening earlier this month after closing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Beginning Sunday, visitors from nations considered safe to perform the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina known as the Umrah at 100% of the previously altered capacity.
Beginning Oct. 4, up to 6,000 citizens and residents were allowed to perform the Umrah daily, with new measures permitting a revised maximum of 20,000 pilgrims into the Grand Mosque each day.
