Pilgrims start stoning devil amid tight security

Since the wee hours of Monday, pilgrims began performing the symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at the three pillars on the first day of Eidul Adha on Monday.

Pilgrims spent the previous night camping out in the open in Muzdalifah where they collected pebbles.

Devil stoning ritual is an emulation of Prophet Ibrahim’s stoning of the devil at the three spots where he is said to have appeared trying to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son, Ismael.

Saudi police were heavily deployed at Jamarat bridge to avoid last year disaster that left nearly 800 pilgrims dead, according to official Saudi count.

Authorities have deployed drones to reinforce a network of electronic surveillance of the crowds that would alert authorities to intervene quickly to any incident.

Each pilgrim was given an electronic bracelet containing all personal information and medical data.

Yesterday, Saudi Arabia said 1.855 million pilgrims, most of them from outside Saudi Arabia, have arrived for the annual pilgrimage, a religious duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the journey.

Source: MENA