Saudi Arabia denies arresting 'pro-Qatar social media cell'

Saudi authorities denied a media report, which claimed that a cell working for Qatari interests had been arrested recently in Saudi Arabia.

Spokesperson of the Saudi ministry of interior General Mansour Al-Turky denied the report published on Friday by the London-based Al-Arab newspaper, which quoted unnamed sources as saying that the kingdom “arrested a cell working on social media to serve Qatari interests.”

According to the official Saudi news agency, General Al-Turky categorically denied the report, urging the newspaper to uphold journalistic standards of ethics.

This is the second time Saudi authorities deny reports by the same newspaper pertaining to Qatari-Saudi relations.

The Saudi ministry of foreign affairs had previously denied a report by Al-Arab, which claimed that Qatar offered concessions during a meeting of Gulf countries on April 17.