Image source: Twitter
© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
"At this stage, it appears to be an isolated incident."
Photos circulating on social media over the weekend appeared to show a black Islamic State flag painted on the side of a mountain in Saudi Arabia.
Da'ish flag painted on the side of a mountain in Riyadh, #Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/dsyzCF0ar0
— Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) September 7, 2015
Several social media users and Middle Eastern news outlets asserted that it was painted in Dawadmi, a town near the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
What the hell is this :o #Dawadmi pic.twitter.com/RTHbnCJCNp
— Ebra Saab (@EbrahemoZz1) September 6, 2015
According to the reports, Saudi security services are investigating.
Jonathan Spyer, director of the Rubin Center at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, and fellow at the U.S.-based Middle East Forum, told TheBlaze that the flag appears to have been painted illicitly.
“At this stage, it appears to be an isolated incident,” Spyer said.
“But, of course, there are Saudis in Iraq and Syria fighting with ISIS, so it is right to be concerned about support for it in the kingdom,” the Middle East expert added.
While Islamist militants have been carrying out gruesome brutalities as they conquer territories in neighboring Iraq and Syria, the Saudi kingdom has been largely spared from the group whose declared goal is an international caliphate.
A few thousand Saudi citizens have traveled to Iraq and Syria to join the Islamic State group, according to the New York Times.
In July, Saudi authorities arrested 431 suspected members of the jihadist group in an effort to thwart plans for attacks on Saudi soil.
The Islamic State group in May claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia that killed at least four people.
Want to leave a tip?
We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?
more stories
Sign up for the Blaze newsletter
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time.
© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Get the stories that matter most delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time.