Saudi authorities announced Friday the arrest of a Saudi who helped a "non-Muslim" enter Mecca, after a controversy was sparked by a video clip wherein an Israeli Occupation journalist showed himself in Mecca. 

The video published by Israeli Occupation Channel 13 journalist Gil Tamari sparked a wave of violent reactions on social media this week in the kingdom.

The media spokesman for the Mecca Police said, "The region police referred to the Public Prosecution a complicit citizen who transferred and facilitated the entry of a (non-Muslim) journalist and who holds American citizenship to the Holy Capital by following the path of Muslims, in an explicit violation of the regulations that prohibit entry to Mecca for non-Muslims. He was arrested and legal measures taken against him."

The spokesman stressed "the need to respect the regulations and abide by what they stipulate, especially with regard to the Two Holy Mosques and sacred feelings, and any violation of this kind is considered a crime that will not be tolerated, and penalties will be applied to its perpetrators based on the relevant regulations, and the case of the journalist who committed the crime has been referred to the Public Prosecution to take what is necessary against him in accordance with the regulations.”

The spokesman did not mention the name of the Israeli Occupation journalist, Gil Tamari, who entered Saudi Arabia with his American passport, as it is not possible to enter the Kingdom with an Israeli Occupation passport.

In the video, which is about ten minutes long, Tamari visits Mount Arafat, which is a destination for Muslim pilgrims during the Hajj every year.

In the video, Tamari admitted that he realizes that what he is doing is illegal, noting that the site is a "forbidden place for non-Muslims" and declaring, "I am the first Israeli journalist to publish these images in Hebrew from this place."

In response to the angry reactions, Tamari said Tuesday that he wanted to "show the importance of Mecca and the beauty of Islam."

Tamari's apology and justification did not help calm the anger on social media, as the hashtag "#Jewish in the Haram" was circulated.