Cairo: Seven people, including two expatriates, were arrested in the Saudi capital Riyadh for mimicking police in a video and posting it on social media.
The suspects– five Saudis, a Yemeni and a Chadian – were apprehended by the Riyadh police for having presented assignments undertaken by security men in “inappropriate comic video scenes at a commercial store,” a security statement said.
Investigations showed that the offenders had acted with the aim of increasing their followers on social media, a spokesman for the Riyadh police. They were referred to public prosecution.
Saudi authorities have in recent months exposed several cyber offences.
Last month, a state media watchdog summoned a snapchat user for questioning over featuring a content deemed immoral and slanderous.
The female user in question had allegedly appeared in clips including offensive slurs against others.
The General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) had reportedly summoned the girl, whose age or name was not disclosed, and completed her official data before referring her to public prosecution.
If convicted, the girl could face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of SR3 million, or one of the two penalties according to the kingdom’s anti-cyber crime law.
“The penalty can be toughened because of her slander against others,” lawyer Khaled bin Nasser was quoted by Okaz newspaper as saying at the time.
Under Saudi law, slander is punishable by up to one year in prison and a maximum fine of SR500,000 or one of the two penalties.
Okaz last month reported that a prosecution monitoring centre keeps an eye round the clock on material transmitted on social media to spot any “criminalised activity”.
In July, GCAM summoned a celebrated female Tiktoker accused of making racial comments in a recent broadcast and violating electronic media rules in the kingdom.
