Saudi actor arrested for attracting female fans

A popular actor and TV presenter has been arrested in a mall in Saudi Arabia after his appearance caused a huge commotion among young female fans.

Abdul Aziz al-Kassar, a Saudi national who lives in Kuwait, was on a working visit to Riyadh when he was
mobbed by fans trying to take pictures and selfies with him.
Kassar had publicised his visit to the Al Nakheel shopping centre on Friday evening, asking his social media
followers for recommendations of "the best mall to visit", Gulf News reported.
But in a TV interview at the weekend, he told the Gulf Rotana network he had not expected the
"overwhelming" welcome he received from fans.
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.
Kassar told Gulf Rotana: "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.
Saudi's 'religious police' assault Kuwaiti artist @KASSAR_KASSAR in a mall in Riyadh. # ﺷﻜﺮﺍ_ ﺭﺟﻞ_ ﺍﻟﻬﻴﻴﻪ _ﺗﻼﻝ_ﺍﻻﺭﻗﺎﺏ
pic.twitter.com/eD56DuRCdf
— ﺗﻮﺛﻴﻖ ﺟﺮﺍﺋﻢ ﺍﻟﻬﻴﺌﺔ (@HaiaWatch) October 24, 2015
"I understood that the man who pulled me was a member of the commission and I did not resist him out of
my respect for the Commission,” he added.
Kassar said he initially had his phone confiscated, and he has been released on bail pending an investigation
into accusations of disturbing public order, mixing with women unrelated to him and abusing social media.
Hugely popular on social media and with acting credits across Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, Kassar has also
presented a number of TV programmes. He claimed that the religious police should have warned him about
the number of fans congregating and that they "did not tell me to stay away".