Shafaq News – Baghdad

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani received Iraqis freed from detention in Saudi Arabia following their return to Baghdad.

In a statement, al-Sudani urged citizens to "respect the laws and customs" of host countries to avoid legal complications.

Al-Sudani sent a delegation led by his chief of staff, Ihsan al-Awadi, to Riyadh on Tuesday evening. The delegation received the detainees and accompanied them back to Baghdad on a special flight later the same day.

Independent Iraqi lawmaker Raed al-Maliki, who has been following the case, said in August that nine Iraqis were arrested during the Umrah pilgrimage “without charges,” accusing Saudi authorities of mistreatment and warning the case could provoke public anger if unresolved.

Neither Baghdad nor Riyadh has disclosed details on the reasons for the detentions.