Saudi authorities on Friday denied reports of a suicide bomber at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, saying a man was arrested for harassing passersby and causing panic. “Security authorities in the holy capital arrested a person for harassing passersby and spreading fear and panic among them, and he was dealt with immediately,” authorities said in a statement on the US social media platform X. الجهات الأمنية في العاصمة المقدسة تقبض على شخص لمضايقته المارة وإثارة الهلع والفزع بينهم، وتم التعامل معه في حينه بشكل فوري. pic.twitter.com/cNNGjLghk8 — الأمن العام (@security_gov) October 1, 2026 “The security authorities confirm that there is no truth to the claims being circulated regarding the incident,” the statement said. The statement provided no further details about the suspect. Earlier claims circulating on social media alleged that a suspected suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest had approached the Kaaba, a cube-shaped stone building located at the centre of the Grand Mosque that serves as Islam's holiest sanctuary, before being apprehended by security personnel. Houthis attack Madina power distribution system, Saudi-led coalition says On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said that the group had attacked a power distribution station in Madinah which supplies electricity to the Prophet's Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. The coalition said the attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect the power network. A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba News Agency, denied the coalition report. The Houthis later reported Saudi strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other parts of Yemen, with no immediate Saudi confirmation of the strikes. A spokesperson for Yemen's armed forces, which are aligned with the internationally recognised government, said coalition forces had attacked what it described as "high-value targets" in the capital Sanaa, without providing further details. The recent escalation is the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since a United Nations-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022. Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping, while Houthi forces also made major territorial gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast. Read: Saudi Arabia reports fresh Houthi attacks, issues warning for Makkah Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to repel the Houthis. The Saudi-led coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday's attack on the Madinah power station. A Houthi military source said the coalition claim was a "lie" intended to cover up what he described as Saudi Arabia's failure to substantiate its earlier accusation that the Houthis targeted the Muslim holy city of Makkah, said the Saba News Agency. Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it entered restricted airspace over the city. The coalition described the incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Makkah since 2017, while the Houthis denied targeting Makkah or any other Islamic holy site. The coalition said the Madinah attack was part of what it described as repeated Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and "provoke" Muslims worldwide. It said it would continue taking measures to protect the holy sites and pilgrims. The coalition also said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait. It gave no immediate details on any damage or casualties. Local officials said early on Friday that the Houthis had also targeted the headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces command in Aden with several ballistic missiles and drones. There was no immediate comment from the coalition or the Houthis.