Thursday, June 2 2005 22:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Rome: Eight Protestant Christians, including two Indians, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia, the Rome-based religious news agency Asianews has reported.

The Saudi religious police, the Muttawa, arrested an evangelical Christian from India who was in Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa and seized a Bible and addresses, which led to the arrest of seven other members of an evangelical Protestant group, the institute said yesterday (Jun 1, 2005).

Also arrested were Vijay Kumar, 45, from India, an immigrant worker in Saudi Arabia since 1994 whose apartment was used for Christian meetings, said the Asianews website, which is run by the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.

On April 23, the Muttawa arrested 40 Pakistani nationals for celebrating a Catholic mass in a private house.

All forms of non-Muslim worship are banned in Saudi Arabia, which is home to Islam's holiest shrines.