Earlier this week, an unmarried couple was arrested by Saudi authorities after reportedly being found together in a car.
According to QBS news site, the duo, who were allegedly drunk at the time of the arrest, were found after police received a tip from a person who said their car had crossed a red traffic light on a Jeddah city road.
After tracking the vehicle down, officers detained both the Saudi man and his Arab girlfriend. They were both charged with illegal drinking and having an 'illicit' relationship outside of marriage, an act considered a sin under Sharia law.
They will now be referred to prosecution and might face jail sentences, given that both drinking and dating are illegal in the kingdom.
Dating outside of marriage is strictly forbidden in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries
Unmarried couples who are found meeting in public or private face legal consequences in countries across the Gulf region.
In recent years, several who are based in countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE faced arrests and legal consequences after being spotted together. In 2015, a couple was arrested in the kingdom's Khamis Mashit after they were found together in a car.
Earlier this year, a Dubai-based couple was sentenced to one year in jail after they were charged with having a relationship outside of marriage.