Muslims who had come to pray at the Grand Mosque in Mecca were shocked when a man took the microphone and declared he was the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who is expected to come prior to the Day of Resurrection. Eyewitnesses say the imam had just started the Asr prayer when the man snatched the microphone and made his announcement. Mosque security quickly arrested the man, an Egyptian national in his 30s.
Security officers took the man to the mosque's police station for investigation. Police concluded that the man was suffering from mental problems.