Security scare hits Hajj

Although anxious glances have been cast by the Saudis at recent Shiite demonstrations across the border in Kuwait and further north at the Iraqi-Iranian confrontations, the most sensitive area of insecurity appears to be within the kingdom itself. Ever since the Mecca siege last year, when more 500 people died and the following unrest in university campuses in the Eastern Province and the later demonstration of anti-monarchy groups in London, internal security has been stepped up dramatically.