RIYADH -- Saudi police arrested 11 princes on Thursday for protesting at the ruling palace (Qasr Al-Hukm) in Riyadh and refusing to leave, Attorney General Sheikh Saud Al Mojeb said in a statement on Saturday.

The princes protested over the decision to stop the government from paying the power and water bills of princes and their demands to get compensation for the execution of a prince last year who was convicted in a murder case.

They were referred to Al-Hayer prison pending trial.

As part of the reforms the country is initiating, all citizens are equal and that was clear with the arrest of many princes and top officials last year in the biggest corruption case in the history of Saudi Arabia, the attorney general said. -- SG