Saudi Arabia detains over 16,000 in a week for violating residency, labour and border laws
Ministry of Interior warns of severe penalties for assisting others in illegal activities
Dubai: Saudi Arabia has arrested as many as 16,161 individuals for various legal violations across all regions of the Kingdom.
During a week-long security campaign from May 23, the authorities arrested 10,575 for residency violations, 3,726 for border security breaches and 1,860 for violating labour laws.
The operation also led to the arrest of 967 individuals attempting to illegally enter Saudi Arabia, predominantly of Yemeni and Ethiopian nationalities, making up 39 per cent and 57 per cent of those caught, respectively. An additional 22 persons were detained for attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally.
The Ministry of Interior confirmed that seven suspects were arrested for helping violators by transporting, sheltering, or employing them illegally.
Some 29,823 violators have been referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents, 2,064 are preparing for deportation, and 13,252 have already been deported.
The ministry has issued a warning that assisting violators can lead to penalties including up to 15 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to one million riyals, confiscation of transport and housing used in the commission of these crimes, and public defamation.
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