A video is being widely shared on social media in which an Imam of a mosque is being arrested. The caption on the video claims that the Saudi police detained the Imam for urging the Saudi government to support the people in Gaza.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “BREAKING : Saudi police detained the imam of a Saudi congregation for urging Arab leaders to stand in support of the Gaza population. Sadly! In India we are given free run to all Jihadis. #US #Israel #Gaza #Hamas #IDF #Hezbollah. (sic)”
When we performed a Google Reverse Image Search, we discovered that a Twitter handle had uploaded the same video on March 2, 2018, with the following caption, “التعدي بالضرب و إعتقال إمام مسجد من على المنبر في #السعودية بعد إنتقاده فساد بن #سلمان في خطبة الجمعة !! سعودية علمانية في عهد بن سلمان !!” (English translation, “Assault and arrest of a mosque imam from the pulpit in #السعودية after criticizing the corruption of Bin #سلمان in the Friday sermon!! Secular Saudi Arabia during the era of Bin Salman!!”
Another report quoted the official spokesman for the branch of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in the Medina region, Majid bin Ghaleb Al-Muhammadi, who said, “Regarding what happened in the Jabriya Mosque in Yanbu al-Bahr, the mosque administration reported that, this afternoon, a mentally ill person attempted to preach in the mosque, and when he ascended the pulpit, he was dealt with by the competent authorities, and the official preacher of the mosque held Friday prayers and the sermon.”
Another report also stated the same information about the incident.
Hence, we conclude that the viral video is old and is not related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
