Saudi Arabia Arrests Another Leading Shia Cleric
RIYADH (Dispatches) – Saudi Arabia has reportedly arrested Sheikh Kadhim al-Amri, a leading Shia cleric in the holy city of Medina, without any charges. Local Shia sources reported the development on Tuesday, saying the arrestee — who is the son of the late cleric Sheikh Muhammad al-Amri — was transferred by Saudi security forces to an “unknown location” upon detention. Sheikh Amri is the custodian of a famous mosque in Medina and represents Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s senior Shia cleric, in the holy city. He had been arrested once in 2010 too. His arrest came only a couple of days after a court in Saudi Arabia sentenced Shia cleric Sheikh Abdul Latif al-Nasser to eight years in prison on “terrorism charges.”