Saudi police have arrested 38 in Medina after violence broke out near Islam's oldest mosque, Al-Quba, while the minority Shi'ite community marked their most important religious ceremony.
According to reports, several people - including three security officials - were wounded in clashes on December 16. A Shi'ite news website, Rasid, reported that hundreds of Sunnis attacked Shi'a commemorating the Ashura ceremony.
"Security forces arrived to disperse the crowd," said a journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There has been heavy security presence in Medina since then, with police patrolling streets."
The Saudi current affairs website sabq.org quoted a local police official saying police had stepped in to end an argument between two groups of young people that involved stone throwing. |