Makkah – The Kingdom accords top priority to serve the Two Holy Mosques and the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, stressed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior.

Prince Mohammed bin Nayef said this in a speech he delivered while chairing a meeting to follow up implementation of security plans for this year’s Umrah season on Thursday.

“Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s government is keen to provide all facilities necessary for people to perform Hajj and Umrah in comfort, security and peace,” the Crown Prince added.

“The government continues drawing up scientific and field strategies with the participation of all the concerned civilian and military sectors and departments so as to enable the worshipers to perform their rituals in ease and comfort. The security personnel are fully geared up to meet any emergency situations,” he told the meeting in Makkah.

The holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, he said, are regarded as the cultural beacons of Muslims the world over.

In this context, Director of Public Security Lt. Gen. Othman al-Mohrej briefed the meeting on the salient features of the security plan for the first, second and third 10 days of Ramadan.

He commended the experiment of creating three groups of special security forces for quick intervention for crowd control in some designated spots that experience heavy rush during the fasting month.

He said that this year the number of these groups have been raised to seven and they have been deployed in all the directions leading to the Grand Mosque and its courtyards.

The meeting was attended by Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, advisor to the minister of interior; Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques; Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mohammed Bantan, and several senior civilian and security officials.