Saudi Gazette report

DAMMAM — A number of people, including legal experts, have strongly denounced the act of an identified Saudi man who fed banknotes to his camel, according to Makkah daily on Wednesday.

A video clip showing the man’s act went viral on social media. Legal experts have asked the police to track down the man and bring him to justice for his heinous crime.

They said the man faced a prison term of five years and a fine of SR10,000 for tampering with the Saudi currency.

The video showed the man inserting a number of banknotes in a loaf of bread, which he fed his camel.

The users of social media were unanimous in their condemnation of the act, describing it as irresponsible. They called for tracking down the man to bring him to justice.

Talaat Hafiz, chairman of the banking awareness committee, strongly denounced the man’s act, describing it as detestable. He said it amounted to disrespecting a national symbol — the Saudi currency.

“This is a downright humiliation and tampering with a national symbol. Any wise human being will decry this act,” he said.

Hafiz said tracking down the man was not the work of the banks but the police and the security authorities.

Fahd Al-Anzi, a Shoura Council member, said through feeding banknotes to his camel, the man committed a grave crime for which he should be severely penalized.

He said the act had touched on the sentiments of citizens especially the poor and the needy.

Mishaal Al-Sharif, a lawyer, said publishing the video on the Internet was also a crime, which was not less severe than feeding money to the camel.

He said people inside and outside the Kingdom found the act to be provocative and hoped that the man would soon be caught.