Police spokesman Lt. Col. Abdul Mohsen Al-Miman denied reports by some electronic media that the police had to intervene to end the gathering.

"This was a normal assemblage of citizens wishing to process their paper work at the municipality. The police never intervened to use force to disperse the crowds," he said.

The citizens came to the municipality to demand the supply of electricity to their homes after the ministry of municipal and rural affairs decided that houses without ownership deeds should not be deprived from electricity.

Eyewitnesses said that the crowds were further exasperated when the municipality officials serving them distributed among them at random only 100 numbers to be served. They said some of them claimed that though they arrived at the municipality after Fajr prayer were not given numbers.

According to the eyewitnesses, deputy head of the municipality's control department Naif Haddad was attacked by one of the citizens who failed to show his number when he asked him to do so in order to serve him. They said the man threatened the official, insulted him and was waiting for him outside the building to run him over with his car.

The eyewitnesses said the municipality official who was frightened for his life called the security patrols to protect him.

Most of the citizens who flocked to the municipality were residents of Al-Maghmas and Al-Wadi Al-Akhdar (green valley) near Al-Sharaie area and did not have official land deeds.

Mayor of Makkah Osama Al-Bar said the decision of the ministry was not to provide houses without proper ownerships deeds with electricity but rather to count them so as to know their exact number.

He said after these houses were counted, the ministry will be informed to enable them to take the right decision.