Asia

Asia

Saudi Arabia arrests 18 people on charges of espionage

20 March 2013 04:59 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Saudi Arabia says it has arrested 18 people on charges of espionage for a foreign country, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that the suspects are accused of gathering information on vital installations and relaying it to a foreign state.

The ministry said in a statement that a Lebanese national and an Iranian are among the detainees.

"Sixteen Saudis, an Iranian and a Lebanese were arrested in coordinated and simultaneous operations in four regions of the kingdom," including the capital Riyadh, Mecca, and the restive Eastern Province, the statement added.

Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki noted that the arrests were made four days ago and that the suspects were being investigated before being handed over to judicial authorities.

Earlier in the day, rights activists said the Saudi regime had arrested several Shia Muslims -- including two clerics -- across the kingdom for unspecified reasons.

Since February 2011, demonstrators have held anti-regime protest rallies on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in the Qatif region and the town of Awamiyah in Eastern Province, primarily calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.