Nine arrested after clashes in Saudi shrine city

The Saudi authorities have arrested nine people following clashes at prophet Mohammed's mosque in the Muslim pilgrimage city of Medina, an official said today.

Some pilgrims clashed with worshippers at the mosque but there were no casualties, interior ministry spokesman Mansur al-Turki told AFP.

He declined to comment on reports on Shiite websites that the clashes were sectarian and pitted Shiites against Sunnis, the majority confession in Saudi Arabia as in most of the Muslim world.

"The security authorities will issue a statement later to clarify what happened, the nationalities of the participants in the fight and their motives, once the investigation is over," Turki said.