The Saudi ambassador to Egypt had also been recalled, the Saudi state news agency said.
Egyptian protesters have demanded the release of human rights lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawi.
He was detained earlier this month on arrival in Saudi Arabia and accused of insulting King Abdullah.
Egyptian activists say the lawyer was held after lodging a complaint against Saudi Arabia for its treatment of Egyptians in its prisons.
His family say he had gone to perform a minor pilgrimage – a detail which has angered many Egyptians who feel resentment at the kingdom’s treatment of Egyptians.
But Saudi authorities say Mr al-Gizawi was found by airport officials to be carrying drugs – allegedly more than 20,000 anti-anxiety pills – in his luggage.
They say they doubt Mr al-Gizawi was on a pilgrimage, as he was not wearing white pilgrims’ clothes.
** ahram online
By JEDDAH: MD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS
Published: Apr 25, 2012 23:28 Updated: Apr 27, 2012 20:44
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Egypt and Arab League Representative Ahmed Al-Qattan voiced deep regret over incorrect media reports with regard to the arrest of Egyptian national Ahmed Al-Gizawi in Jeddah.
In a press statement, Al-Qattan said lawyer Al-Gizawi (whose name in passport is Ahmed Mohammed Tharwat Al-Sayyid) was apprehended for possessing narcotic pills when he landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Tuesday.
“The airport customs officials seized 21,380 narcotic pills that were found hidden in the packet of baby milk powder and cases of two copies of the Holy Qur’an from his luggage. Even though Al-Gizawi arrived on an Umrah visa, he was not wearing pilgrims’ Ihram clothes,†the ambassador said.
According to Al-Qattan, customs officials handed Al-Gizawi to officials of the Commission to Combat Drugs, and now the lawyer is in the custody of the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution.
The Saudi authorities have provided the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh with all details concerning him. The ambassador reiterated authorities would not exceed the proper bounds of the Kingdom’s laws in trying any non-Saudis for any criminal acts.
“The Kingdom can put his name on the list of those who are banned from entering its territories if it wanted to do so,†he said, while emphasizing that Al-Gizawi’s issue would be dealt with in accordance with the Kingdom’s laws that would enable him to seek the support of defense lawyers and the Egyptian Embassy.
The ambassador’s statement came in the wake of a flurry of contradicting reports about Al-Gizawi’s arrest, especially through social networking sites. Some of these reports claimed the lawyer, who is also a human rights activist, was sentenced to imprisonment and lashes.