FILE - In this March 29, 2014 file photo, Aziza al-Yousef drives a car on a highway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving. Saudi authorities have detained at least six activists, including three of the country's most prominent women's rights campaigners, just weeks before the kingdom is set to lift a ban on women driving, people familiar with the arrests said Friday, May 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File)
The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Seven people in Saudi Arabia, including four prominent women's rights activists who campaigned for the right to drive, are being accused by state security of working with "foreign entities."
Pro-government media outlets have splashed their photos online and on newspapers, accusing them of betrayal and of being traitors.
The stunning arrests come before Saudi Arabia is set to lift the world's only ban on women driving next month.
The Interior Ministry late Saturday did not name those arrested, but said the group is being investigated for communicating with "foreign entities" and providing money to foreign circles with the aim of destabilizing the kingdom.
Pro-government media have published the names of those detained, which include Loujain al-Hathloul and Aziza al-Yousef. Both are outspoken and well-known activists who've pushed for greater women's rights.
FILE - This Nov. 30, 2014 image made from video released by Loujain al-Hathloul, shows her driving towards the United Arab Emirates - Saudi Arabia border before her arrest on Dec. 1, 2014, in Saudi Arabia. Rights activists say at least six people who have campaigned for human rights in Saudi Arabia, including four women who pushed for the right to drive, have been detained in Saudi Arabia. Among those detained since Tuesday, May 15, 2018 is Loujain al-Hathloul, who was previously arrested in late 2014 for more than 70 days for criticizing the government online and pushing for the right to drive. (AP Photo/Loujain al-Hathloul, File)
The Associated Press