A video of a teen 'spitting' on the holy Quran sparked outrage among social media users in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and several other Gulf countries over the weekend.
A few days after it began circulating online, the teen was arrested by authorities late on Sunday, reported local Saudi newspaper Okaz.
In his statement on the matter, the Riyadh Police spokesperson Gen. Fawaz Al Meeman said:
"Riyadh authorities were able to identify and locate the teen who offended the holy Quran. He is a 15-year-old and therefore has been placed in a social services detention center. Riyadh's prosecutor office has been notified of the incident and will be taking action shortly."
The now-viral video sparked outrage and debate on social media
In the past few days, the video has continued to anger thousands of social media users who have taken to the hashtag 'civilian offends the holy Quran,' sharing their thoughts on it.
Many people refrained from sharing the video on the platform and only shared a screenshot of the teen who featured in it, calling on authorities to arrest and punish him.
While some even called for the severe death penalty punishment, others refrained from jumping to conclusions and tried to defend the young man.
People were angered
"I couldn't even finish watching the video... five seconds in and I was overwhelmed."
Some called for severe action to be taken against the teen
"I hope that he receives jail time and lashes as punishment... people like him must be severely punished."
Others even called on authorities to execute him
"I saw his video and I wish I hadn't. We'll anger God if we don't execute him. And those who say he's only a teen are OK with what he did."
"He's only 15, he might just be looking for fame but that shouldn't exempt him from punishment"
Others defended the young man
"He's a teen who appeared naked in a video while he spat on the holy Quran, it's clear that he's got a psychological problem. Instead of all the drama, and instead of calling on him to be executed, we must call on authorities to provide him with treatment."
"Don't be too harsh on him"
"He's only 15-years-old... he's just a kid! Who knows what led him to do this, who knows who influenced him or what his living situation is like!! Don't be too harsh on him..."
"No one asked why!! No one thought of excuses!! You all just want him executed"
A few thought that severe punishments are simply uncalled for
"What's wrong with people who are calling for such severe punishments, everything comes with leniency. The boy could be suffering from a mental health issue, he could be uneducated or influenced by someone older than him."