Suspected Ethiopian illegals attacked a Saudi man and engraved a Christian cross on his chest with an edged piece of metal before fleeing the scene on Saturday, media reports said.
The group, believed to have illegally infiltrated the country, stopped the man as he was driving out of his small village, Casablanca in Al-Hada area, and hit him on his head, causing him to lose consciousness.
The man was taken to King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital in Taif for treatment. Police surveyed the area and arrested a group of illegal Ethiopians with the help of locals who knew of their hideouts.
The attackers have yet to be identified.