$500m industrial zone planned in prison complex

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia plans to set up an "industrial zone" to the value of 2 billion riyals ($500 million) behind the walls of a prison complex.

The head of Haer prison and the government's Industrial Cities Authority signed a contract to attract private sector investment, which would provide 3,000-5,000 jobs, apparently for prisoners, Saudi media said yesterday. Haer is a high-security prison near Riyadh. "The project will rehabilitate and train inmates of the facility to undertake jobs that will help everyone," a statement by the authority said.

However, it was not clear what industries would be targeted inside the zone, which has been allocated 1 million square metres inside Haer.