CAIRO: Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Egypt, and Arab League Representative Ahmed Al-Qattan voiced deep regret over incorrect media reports with regard to the arrest of Egyptian national Ahmed Al-Gizawi in Jeddah. In a press statement, Al-Qattan said lawyer Gizawi was apprehended for possessing narcotic pills when he landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Tuesday. “The airport customs officials seized 21,380 narcotic pills that were found hidden in the packet of baby milk powder and cases of two copies of the Holy Qur'an from his luggage. Even though Al-Gizawi arrived on an Umrah [Islamic pilgrimage]visa, he was not wearing pilgrims' Ihram clothes,” the ambassador said, according to a report in the Arab News. According to Al-Qattan, customs officials delivered Gizawi to officials of the Commission to Combat Drugs, and now the lawyer is in the custody of the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution. The Saudi authorities have provided the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh with all details concerning him. The ambassador reiterated authorities would not exceed the proper bounds of the Kingdom's laws in trying any non-Saudis for any criminal acts. “The Kingdom can put his name on the list of those who are banned from entering its territories if it wanted to do so,” he said, while emphasizing that Gizawi's issue would be dealt with in accordance with the Kingdom's laws that would enable him to seek the support of defense lawyers and the Egyptian Embassy. The ambassador's statement came in the midst of a swarm of contradicting reports about Gizawi's arrest, especially through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Some reports claimed the lawyer, who is also a human rights activist, was sentenced to imprisonment and lashes.
