<p>A Saudi man in a speeding car crashed into the outer gates of Mecca's Grand Mosque late Friday night, the country's state-run news agency reported.</p>.<p>The crash happened around 10:30 pm and saw the man's car ram through a barrier and keep driving until it hit the gate on the Grand Mosque's southern side, the Saudi Press Agency said.</p>.<p>Authorities arrested the man inside, who appeared in an “abnormal" condition, the agency said, without elaborating. Police referred the man to prosecutors for possible charges, according to the report.</p>.<p>Video on social media corresponded to the news agency's account, with security forces later pushing the damaged sedan away.</p>.<p>The Grand Mosque houses the cube-shaped Kaaba that observant Muslims pray toward five times a day. Authorities had shut down the mosque amid the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/coronavirus-live-news-covid-19-latest-updates.html" target="_blank">coronavirus</a> pandemic but recently reopened it to small crowds of faithful. Footage broadcast on the state-run Quran TV satellite channel showed people inside circling the Kaaba before and after the crash.</p>.<p>The kingdom held a dramatically downsized, symbolic hajj pilgrimage in July due to concerns that it could easily have become a global superspreader event for the virus.</p>
<p>A Saudi man in a speeding car crashed into the outer gates of Mecca's Grand Mosque late Friday night, the country's state-run news agency reported.</p>.<p>The crash happened around 10:30 pm and saw the man's car ram through a barrier and keep driving until it hit the gate on the Grand Mosque's southern side, the Saudi Press Agency said.</p>.<p>Authorities arrested the man inside, who appeared in an “abnormal" condition, the agency said, without elaborating. Police referred the man to prosecutors for possible charges, according to the report.</p>.<p>Video on social media corresponded to the news agency's account, with security forces later pushing the damaged sedan away.</p>.<p>The Grand Mosque houses the cube-shaped Kaaba that observant Muslims pray toward five times a day. Authorities had shut down the mosque amid the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/coronavirus-live-news-covid-19-latest-updates.html" target="_blank">coronavirus</a> pandemic but recently reopened it to small crowds of faithful. Footage broadcast on the state-run Quran TV satellite channel showed people inside circling the Kaaba before and after the crash.</p>.<p>The kingdom held a dramatically downsized, symbolic hajj pilgrimage in July due to concerns that it could easily have become a global superspreader event for the virus.</p>