Speeding car driven into gates of Makkah's Grand Mosque

A Saudi man drove a speeding car into the outer gates of Makkah's Grand Mosque on Friday night, the country's state-run news agency reported.

The incident happened at around 10.30pm, when the car breached a barrier and then hit the gate on the Grand Mosque's southern side, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Authorities arrested the driver, who appeared in an "abnormal" condition, the agency said, without elaborating. Police referred the man to prosecutors for possible charges, the report said.

Video on social media corresponded to the news agency's account. Security forces later pushed the car away.

The Grand Mosque houses the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the centre that is a focus for prayer five times a day. Authorities had shut down the mosque because of the coronavirus 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.

The kingdom held a small, symbolic Hajj pilgrimage in July because of concerns that a larger gathering could easily have become a global superspreader event.