Russian Hajj Pilgrims to be fingerprinted

From next year the Saudi Arabian authorities will demand that all hajj pilgrims, including those from Russia, be fingerprinted, the Russian government’s point man for religious affairs said on Friday, RIA Novosti reports.

Ilyas Umakhanov, who is also deputy Federation Council speaker, said the measure was being introduced because the Saudi authorities have decided to give priority to first-time pilgrims, which called for special security arrangements.

“A centralized data base on pilgrims from all over the world will be created,” he said.

Russia earlier received an official note from Saudi Arabia saying that visas will no longer be issued without fingerprinting.