The digging up of 9 out of 17 “suspicious graves” at a cemetery near Ahad Rufaida in Jizan has revealed the presence of human remains believed to have been removed from another site and laid to rest four months ago by unknown persons. The Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh ordered the opening of 17 graves at the cemetery following concerns from local residents at the unexplained recent appearance of 21 graves, four of which had been left exposed, and all of which were not laid correctly in alignment with the Qibla direction to Makkah The remaining graves are expected to be investigated today Wednesday, as theories concerning the contents and purpose of the new graves expand. One person told Okaz that locals suspect the sites in Al-Wadiyayn, a sparsely populated town in mountains near Ahad Rufaida close to the border with Yemen, contain weapons hidden by infiltrators during incursions into the area in recent months. Residents of the area have repeated appeals, however, for the whole site to be properly walled and for graves to be numbered, with some saying that the area “represents a hazard with its open graves and unimpeded access”. Saudi Gazette reported Tuesday that following residents' complaints to the regional Emir, the Grand Mufti was contacted for permission to open the graves, and a team of officials, including explosives experts from Asir Police, were tasked with investigating their contents.
