Grand Mosque seizure

Grand Mosque seizure
Saudi soldiers pushing into the underground corridor of the Grand Mosque of Mecca after gassing the interior with a non-lethal chemical agent provided by French specialists.
Date 20 November 1979 – 4 December 1979 (14 days) Location Mecca, Saudi Arabia 21°25′19″N 39°49′33″E / 21.42194°N 39.82583°E / 21.42194; 39.82583 Result Saudi victory Saudi military regains control of Masjid al-Haram after two weeks of fighting Execution of Juhayman al-Otaybi and his followers by way of public decapitation
Belligerents
Saudi Arabia Supported by:  France[1][2][3][4]	Ikhwan[5]
Commanders and leaders
Khalid bin Abdulaziz Fahd bin Abdulaziz Sultan bin Abdulaziz Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Nayef bin Abdulaziz Badr bin Abdulaziz Turki bin Faisal Brig. Gen. Faleh al-Dhaheri Lt. A. Qudheibi (WIA) Maj. M. Zuweid al-Nefai	Juhayman al-Otaybi  Muhammad al-Qahtani † Muhammad Faisal  Muhammad Elias
Units involved
GDPS special forces[6] National Guard Special Security Forces GIP [7] GIGN (advisors)	N/A
Strength
~10,000 troops	300–600 militants[8]
Casualties and losses
127 killed[9] 451 wounded	117 killed[10] 68 executed
11 pilgrims killed 109 pilgrims injured
Masjid al-Haram (Mecca) class=notpageimage| Location within Saudi Arabia

The Grand Mosque seizure in Saudi Arabia took place between 20 November 1979 and 4 December 1979, when the Grand Mosque of Mecca was besieged by up to 600 militants under the leadership of Juhayman al-Otaybi, a Saudi anti-monarchy Islamist from the Tribe of Otaibah. They identified themselves as "al-Ikhwan" (Arabic: الإخوان), referring to the religious Arabian militia^[5] that had played a significant role in establishing the Saudi state in the early 20th century. As they took hostages from among the worshippers at the holiest Islamic site in the city of Mecca, the Ikhwan called for an uprising against the House of Saud and also declared that the Mahdi had arrived in the form of one of the militants' leaders: Muhammad Abdullah al-Qahtani. Juhayman alleged that the House of Saud had become corrupted, decrying their pursuit of alliances with "Christian infidels" and stating that the Saudi government's policies were betraying Islam by attempting to push secularism into Saudi society. Seeking assistance for their counteroffensive against the Ikhwan, the Saudis requested urgent aid from France, which responded by dispatching advisory units from the GIGN. After French operatives provided them with a special type of tear gas that dulls aggression and obstructs breathing, Saudi troops gassed the interior of the Grand Mosque and forced entry. They successfully secured the site after two weeks of fighting, which culminated in approximately 800 casualties in total.^[11]

In the process of retaking the Grand Mosque, the Saudi military had killed the self-proclaimed messiah al-Qahtani. Juhayman and 68 of the militants were captured alive and later sentenced to death by Saudi authorities, being executed by beheading in public displays across a number of Saudi cities.^[12][13][14] The Ikhwan's siege of the Grand Mosque, which had occurred amidst the Islamic Revolution in nearby Iran, prompted further unrest across the Muslim world. Large-scale anti-American riots broke out in many Muslim-majority countries after Iranian religious cleric Ruhollah Khomeini falsely claimed over a radio broadcast that the Grand Mosque seizure had been orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Following the attack, Saudi king Khalid bin Abdulaziz enforced a stricter system of Islamic law throughout the country^[15] and also gave the ulama more power over the next decade. Likewise, Saudi Arabia's Islamic religious police became more assertive.^[16]