French man held in Saudi Arabia for over a year after Hajj scam

A French man detained in Mecca last year is facing a Saudi counter-terrorism court on charges stemming from a visa scam that he fell prey to while attending Hajj, a UK-based rights group has said.

Alqst said on Thursday that Abdelfattah, a father of three, is being tried on the charges of “illegal entry to Mecca” and “failing to report a helper”, as well as "insulting the government" and "praising prosecuted individuals".

Detained for more than a year, Alqst said Abdelfattah has been tortured repeatedly, including an attack in December in which six masked guards beat him, handcuffed him and placed him in solitary confinement for a week.

In July, while speaking on the phone to his wife, he was beaten by guards until he lost consciousness.