Explosives Detectors To Be Installed At The Entrances To The Holy Mosque In Mecca

Explosives detectors are to be installed at the entrances to the Holy Mosque. Photograph: Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images

Explosives Detectors To Be Installed At Gates Of Mecca's Holy Mosque -- The Guardian

Security officials say move part of a series of measures designed to improve safety inside and outside holy site.

Explosives detectors are to be installed at the entrances to the Holy Mosque in Mecca as the Saudi authorities boost security around the city's holy sites.

Around 180 people work on a shift pattern to man the gates leading to the Masjid al-Haram, which surrounds the Ka'aba, the black granite cube that Muslims turn to when praying.

But there are no other measures in place to screen pilgrims for weapons, explosive devices or other banned items, although there are more than 700 cameras tracking them for possible theft, pickpocketing and other criminal or immoral activity.

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My Comment: A perfect place for a suicide attack .... a fact that Saudi officials are only now acknowledging.