Saudi authorities arrest couple for kissing in viral footage

On Sunday, Saudi authorities arrested a man who filmed himself kissing a woman, sparking outrage on Twitter.

The arrest comes days after the governor of the kingdom's Jazan governorate, Prince Mohammad bin Abdel Aziz, ordered >the immediate arrest of the couple who went viral after appearing in the "explicit" footage. 

The video, which was allegedly shot on one of Jazan's highways, was first uploaded to the Snapchat account of the defendant, who captioned it:

"Teaching her how to drive." 

In it, the couple are seen flirting with each other and kissing in what appears to be the front seat of a car. 

"Is this for real?"

"Lack of modesty, I hope they're both caught soon, let them be thrown in jail for a few years so that they learn some respect and manners."

"They both deserve to be arrested." 

"A man and his girlfriend, what's the problem? Maybe they're newly married and this is a video they were trying to send to his or her family and it went out to someone else by mistake."

For an unmarried couple in Saudi Arabia, meeting in public or private could lead to strict legal consequences. 

This is because the kingdom bans relationships outside of marriage, an act considered a sin under Sharia law.

Earlier this year, an unmarried couple >was arrested by Saudi authorities after reportedly being found together in a car.

At the time, the couple, a Saudi man and his Arab girlfriend were both charged with illegal drinking and having an "illicit" relationship outside of marriage.