Saudi Arabia arrests 76,000 Hajj pilgrims

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry has arrested more than 75,000 people for "violating Hajj regulations" ahead of the start of the Hajj pilgrimage.

The Director General of Public Security, Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Bassamy, confirmed that more than 269,000 people who did not have valid permits (Hajj visas) to enter Mecca were turned back and nearly 76,000 "violators" were arrested. They now face penalties such as deportation, fines, and a 10-year ban on entering the country.

According to Bassami, 252 fake Hajj companies, 1,239 illegal carriers were also identified, and nearly 110,000 vehicles were not allowed into Mecca due to non-compliance.

As of June 1, it was reported that the number of people performing the Hajj pilgrimage had reached 1,475,230.