Man arrested in Saudi Arabia over “offensive” meal with a woman

An Egyptian man is now cooling his heels in a Saudi Arabia prison after he was filmed in a viral video having an ‘offensive’ meal with a woman who fed him bread in the clip.

Reports say the Egyptian man was charged with failing to abide by gender laws for appearing in what they have described as an “offensive” video after he was filmed being fed breakfast by a female colleague.

In the 30-second video that sparked outrage in the Gulf kingdom, the pair were seen laughing and joking at a hotel desk in the city of Jeddah before the woman appeared to feed the man some bread.

Read also: BRAZIL: Jailed ex-President Lula bows out of presidential race

After the video went viral on Sunday, local media reported that an Egyptian national was arrested and charged with failing to adhere to government regulations that stipulate a gender-segregated workplace.

“The labour ministry arrested an expatriate in Jeddah after he appeared in an offensive video,” the ministry said.

The US government-funded Alhurra TV network later reported that the man could face charges of sexual harassment in the workplace and up to five years in prison.

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