Expat who spoke about 'scheme to rectify status of illegals' arrested

Cairo: Saudi police said they arrested a Yemeni resident who had invited a rally where he had claimed there is a scheme to rectify the status of illegal expatriates in the kingdom.

Spokesman for police in Mecca said the man was identified and apprehended after he appeared in a video clip inside a banquet hall in the Red Sea city of Jeddah speaking about an alleged scheme in the pipeline to rectify status of some illegal foreign residents.

“These allegations are not based on official grounds,” the spokesman said. The suspect has been referred to public prosecution.

Foreigners make up about 10.5 million of Saudi Arabia’s total population of 34.8 million.

In recent months, Saudi authorities have rounded up thousands of illegal expatriates for violating the country’s residency, labour and border rules.