Saudi police have foiled an attempt by a suspected extremist to burn Kaaba in the grand mosque of Makkah, the most valued site among Muslims, Sabq online newspaper reported on Tuesday.

An eyewitness told the news portal that he saw the man pouring gasoline at the black clothes covering the Kaaba, in which he alerted the police at the mosque and they arrested the man, reports Xinhua.

No official information was released, while the newspaper confirmed that the incident occurred at 23:11 local time on Monday (2011 GMT). It posted a video of the incident that was circulated online.

Although the real intention of the man wasn’t clear until now, worshiping places have been targeted by Islamic State (IS) militant groups in recent years. Many worshipers lost their lives in such attacks.

A Reuters report quoting police in Saudi Arabia says, ‘A man tried to set himself alight with gasoline beside the Kaaba, the black-clad building towards which the world’s Muslims face to pray, inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque late on Monday but was arrested before he could do so.’

‘His actions suggest that he is mentally ill,’ the mosque’s police service said in a statement, adding without elaborating that police would take measures to address the incident. Police said the man was in his 40s.

A video clip circulating on social media showed a man being hustled away from the Kaaba by pilgrims and security guards. Reuters was not able to verify the footage.

In May 2016, Saudi police prevented a catastrophe by foiling a suicide bomber from reaching the Prophet’s mosque in Medina, leaving the attacker and four police personnel killed, five others injured.