Popular Actor arrested by religious police for 'taking selfies with women unrelated to him'

zainab quadri

October 28, 2015 10:44 AM

A popular actor and TV presenter has been arrested in a mall in Saudi Arabia after he was seen taking selfies, thereby causing a huge commotion among young female fans.

Abdul Aziz Al Kassar

Abdul Aziz Al Kassar, a Saudi National who lives in Kuwait, was arrested by officers working for the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice on Friday evening during a visit to the capital Riyadh.

The Saudi star was then taken to the officer's headquarters, where he was charged with violating the strict Muslim country's laws by mingling and taking photographs with women he is not related to.

Speaking to Saudi news site Al Marsad yesterday, Kassar said: "I did not expect to find so many people waiting for me. I want to clarify that the presence of young women at the mall was not something under my control.

"When I stepped in, several fans came over and surrounded me until someone came over and pulled me aside into a room that I learned was reserved for the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice inside the mall."

Video from the mall posted to YouTube and Twitter appears to show Kassar surrounded by women taking photos, before a man in white robes grabs him by the shirt and hauls him away.

The actor is now on bail, awaiting the outcome of the investigation. Until it is complete, he will have to remain in Saudi Arabia.

The actor has played several roles in Kuwaiti dramas and presented programmes in the country. He is active on social media and the number of his followers has increased following the incident at the Riyadh mall.

Al Kassar is not the only person to fall foul of Saudi's laws: this month it was revealed that a British man Karl Andree, 74, had spent a year behind bars and faced 350 lashes after being caught with homemade wine.