No armed foreigners in Baha region

Baha Gov. Prince Mashari bin Saud has warned against the dangers of circulating rumors on the existence of armed immigrants.
Prince Mashari was referring to the rumors propagated by social networking sites alleging that some foreigners are endangering the safety and stability of citizens in the region.
In a meeting with the heads of government departments, tribal chiefs and prominent citizens of the region, Prince Mashari confirmed that such rumors are unfounded and baseless.
However, he said immigrants were entering and residing in the county illegally and called on citizens not to give them shelter. “If citizens do not join hands in the face of illegal migrants, their numbers will increase,” he told the gathering.
Prince Mashari stressed that the rumors were unfounded, adding that security men across the Kingdom are fully vigilant against those who try to tamper with the security and stability of the country and its citizens.
Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Hatlani, head of the police in Baha, said his department arrested around 2,082 infiltrators in 2012. Another 837 were arrested in the first three months of this year.
Regarding the types of crimes committed by the infiltrators, Al-Hatlani said they range from burglary to selling weapons, committing murders and brewing alcohol.
In some instances, citizens have harbored the illegal immigrants, offering them shelter and jobs with meager salaries and others have helped them enter into the Kingdom in return for a sum of money, he added.
Meanwhile, Col. Awadh Qahtani, deputy chief of police for planning and development and the spokesman for the department in Jazan, said that during the first three months of the year, the police apprehended 4,037 infiltrators.
He said that on instructions of the Jazan governor, security campaigns will be intensified in the coming months to block infiltrators.