Saudi top prosecutor summons Twitter users for harming public order

RIYADH: A group of Twitter users will be indicted in Saudi Arabia on charges of harming public order for threatening the "safety and moderate ideology of society" through extremism, according to a statement on state news agency SPA.

The country's chief prosecutor summoned the Twitter users on Sunday, the statement said, without naming them or specifying how many were accused.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Information had earlier tweeted that a radical cleric, Ali al-Rabieei, had been referred to a "publication crimes" committee for unspecified violations.

Ministry officials did not respond to requests for comment on whether Rabieei was among the group.

In a separate statement, Public Prosecutor Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah al-Muajab said he respected freedom of opinion but asserted his office's power to pursue cases against those who promote hatred or sectarianism, or mislead public opinion.