RIYADH: The Saudi coastguard has arrested a group of Iranians who tried to infiltrate the country by sea near the northeastern frontier with Kuwait, authorities said yesterday. Seized were 14 Iranians who were dropped off by a boat. The driver of the boat was chased and captured by patrol boats, Eastern Province coastguard spokesman Colonel Khaled Al Arqubi said. “Fourteen Iranians were captured on Friday night while attempting to infiltrate into the kingdom through the eastern coast in the area of Khafji,” he said.
“Coastguard boats chased the boat that dropped them and its driver was arrested. The boat is Iranian (registered) and the man who drove it is an Iranian national,” he added. Arqubi said the captured men were being questioned. Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz said in Makkah yesterday that an inquiry was under way. “During questioning, they said they came only with the intention of earning a living. They wanted to go to Kuwait, but the boat owner took them towards Saudi territory.”
AFP
