Saudi Arabia: Vulture held for spying for Mossad

A vulture was held in custody by Saudi Arabian security services on suspicion of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

The bird was captured in the rural city of Hyaal by residents who became suspicious when they noticed it was carrying a GPS transmitter and a tag from Tel Aviv University. The vulture's captors told Al-Weeam newspaper that they raised the alarm with authorities because they feared the vulture could be part of a "Zionist plot". Wildlife experts stressed the equipment found merely signified the bird was part of a migration study.