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The pranksters arrested by the police in Riyadh. Image Credit: Photo from the video clip

Cairo: Saudi police said they had arrested four Saudi men in the capital Riyadh for wearing monkey-shaped masks and deliberately terrifying people in public places.

The suspects used to post footage on social media capturing panic-stricken passers-by in reaction to their horrifying black masks.

“In reference to the video circulated on social networking websites showing a group of persons wearing masks on their faces and purposefully terrifying some frequenters of public places and publishing it, security agencies managed to identify and arrest them,” spokesman for police in Riyadh, Maj. Khalid Al Karidis, said.

He added that the offenders were Saudis in their 20s and 30s of age. The suspects are being kept in remand and referred to public prosecution, according to the official.

The Saudi Interior Ministry posted a video showing part of the suspects’ prank and later paraded them after their arrest while wearing the freak masks.

In 2019, Saudi authorities started enforcing a code of public decorum promising penalties of fines and imprisonment for public misconduct deemed offensive or dangerous to people.

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