RIYADH – A total of 32 Saudi citizens were arrested on Monday for illegally assembling in front of Taif governorate premises to protest against the act of a municipality committee to prevent land encroachments to dismantle rest houses they had constructed on governmental land, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The security spokesman of the Ministry of Interior said in a statement that the security authorities ordered their arrest, citing that they violated regulations barring use of government plots without permission, and insisted on disobeying municipality instructions to remove the facilities by themselves during a grace period granted to them.

These people illegally gathered to protest the municipality decision. The arrested people were handed to the Public Prosecution to complete the necessary legal procedures, the spokesman said. — SG/SPA