Five arrested in foiled attack on Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia

June 24 (UPI) -- Security forces in Saudi Arabia say they foiled a planned terror attack on worshippers in the world's largest mosque in Mecca on Friday.

The country's interior ministry told Al Arabiya it arrested five people, including a woman, involved in the plot by three terrorist groups based in Mecca and Jeddah, to target the Grand Mosque where millions gather for an annual pilgrimage.

A suspect in the attack blew himself up after refusing to comply with demands to surrender when security forces surrounded a house where he was hiding in a nearby Ajyad al-Masafi neighborhood.

The explosion caused part of a building to collapse and injured six expatriates and left five members of the security forces with minor injuries.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry suspected foreign involvement in the plot, as it worked to verify the identities of the attackers.

"They obeyed their evil and corrupt selves serving schemes managed from abroad whose aim is to destabilize the security and stability of this blessed country," the ministry told the state-run Saudi Press Agency. "The security people, with the help of Almighty Allah, and then the unlimited support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, will be able to foil these criminal schemes and arrest those involved in them."