Three Saudis arrested because of kidnapping

Authorities in Saudi Arabia said they arrested three men in connection with the kidnapping of Shaikh Mohammad Abdullah Al Jirani, a prominent religious scholar.

The Shiite scholar was kidnapped last month by masked men in front of his house in Al Qatif in the Eastern Province.

Family members said that Al Jirani, a judge at the Endowments and Inheritance Department who at times clashed with members of the community over their negative attitudes towards the state, was forced into a car by three assailants as he was leaving his home in Tarut Island.

Saudi authorities had launched a massive manhunt following the kidnapping.

“Investigations into the case have led to the arrest of three people who were involved in the heinous crime,” the interior ministry said in a statement reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sunday afternoon. The three suspects are Saudi nationals.