35 Egyptian fishermen detained in Saudi Arabia

Saudi authorities have detained 35 Egyptian fishermen for violating the country’s territorial waters, a spokesman has said.

“Thirty-five Egyptian fishermen working in the Red Sea were arrested by Saudi authorities after they violated the kingdom’s territorial waters,” Bakri Abu Hassan, head of the fishermen’s union in eastern Suez province, told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

He said the fishermen have been accused of plying their trade in Saudi territorial waters without a permit.

“I expect that the fishermen will be fined,” he said.

According to the spokesman, the Egyptian embassy in Saudi Arabia is seeking to win the release of the detained fishermen.

Neither Saudi nor Egyptian authorities have commented on the report.