Saudi attempts self-immolation in Makkah

Saudi police arrested an apparently "mentally disturbed" man who tried to set himself on fire at Islam's holiest site, the Grand Mosque in Makkah, a police spokesman said yesterday. The man "poured petrol on himself and tried to set it alight," a police spokesman said. One witness said the man had been uttering "takfiri" slogans, referring to extremist Islamist groups. Another witness said the man also tried to set fire to the kiswah, the black curtain that covers the Kaaba.