Saudis fear terror attacks as hajj begins

The world's largest annual pilgrimage, the hajj, began on Sunday with hundreds of thousands of Muslims pouring into the camp of Mina from Mecca to prepare for the solemn rituals.

This year's attendance is estimated at up to 2.5 million, posing a major headache for the Saudi authorities, who also fear terror attacks aimed against the pilgrims. 

Muslims gather in Mecca (Photo: AP)

But this year has been incident-free since the pilgrims began gathering in Mecca. The city's Grand Mosque has been flooded with the faithful, with an estimated 1.7 million taking part in the main weekly Muslim prayers on Friday.

The movement of pilgrims between the holy sites is a major worry for the authorities who have had to deal with deadly stampedes in the past.

Saudi Arabia has used its huge oil revenues for massive spending on new infrastructure to ease the flow of humanity.

This year, the first phase of the new Mashair Railway – or Mecca metro – will transport pilgrims between Mina and Mount Arafat through Muzdalifah. 

Mecca at night (Photo: AFP)

Security also remains a concern. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said he could not rule out the possibility of an al-Qaeda attack.

On Sunday, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said in an online statement that it is against attacks targeting the hajj.

"We assure our Islamic nation that we are against any criminal action aimed at the pilgrims," it said.

After sunset Sunday, pilgrims were still flooding into the vast plain of Mina, a small village about five kilometers east of Mecca, using all possible means to begin their hajj journey.

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