Saudi Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz on Monday described prominent Shiite holy man Nimr Nimr, tossed in the calaboose... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
in the kingdom's Eastern Province, as mentally ill.
"Nimr Nimr is someone who stirs sedition... The way he speaks reflects a mental deficiency and imbalance," Prince Ahmed said at a presser, according to a report by state news agency SPA.
Prince Ahmed claimed that authorities do not discriminate against the family of Nimr, but warned that those affected by his "deviation" should be stopped.
"His wife works in immigration, and his sons and daughters have scholarships to study abroad. The government sent his wife to the United States for treatment when she suffered a malignant illness," he said.
"Everything is available for him, just like others," Prince Ahmed added.
Nimr remains in hospital as he was maimed during his arrest earlier this month in the Shiite district of Qatif in the Eastern Province.
Saudi police on Friday confronted Shiite demonstrators who marched in Qatif demanding the release of Nimr and other detainees, witnesses said, while the interior ministry announced arresting several people among "rioters."