Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia, concerned over Iranian unrest, has introduced enhanced technology in what officials termed the tightest security for the annual Muslim pilgrimage.

Officials said Saudi Arabia has deployed nearly 100,000 police in Mecca for the annual Muslim pilgrimage.

They said the police, backed by National Guard and military, were assigned to control some two million pilgrims, many of them foreigners.

“We have established a special Haj and Umrah force with 40,000 men for the first time,” Saudi Interior Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef said.

The prince, deemed the architect of Saudi Arabia’s counter-insurgency policy, said authorities were on alert for any attempt to disrupt the Haj.

Mohammed said the security contingent, extending 300 kilometers around Mecca, was on alert for what he termed terrorist attacks.

“We have provided the team with equipment and training to carry out its
services to pilgrims throughout the year,” Mohammed said. “Electronic gates
have been installed to ensure that only those holding valid Haj permits
enter the holy sites.”

Officials said security forces were focusing on the Grand Mosque. They
said 26 units of the Civil Defense force were deployed around the mosque,
equipped with nearly 1,200 cameras, to prevent stampedes and respond to any
emergency. Officials said more than 30,000 people were turned back from
Mecca.

“These cameras are installed to monitor the movement of pilgrims inside
the mosque to ensure their security and safety,” Maj. Gen. Yahya Al Zahrani,
commander of mosque security, said.

  Grand Mosque, Haj, Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, Saudi tightens security as 2 million pilgrims descend on Mecca