The video depicts what would be considered a typical party in the West. Young men and women mingle and dance, and bottles of alcohol are clearly visible. Saudi Arabia strictly forbids men and women who are not blood relatives from celebrating together. The sale, service, and consumption of alcohol are similarly outlawed. One woman in the video is wearing shorts, another violation of Saudi decency laws.
In response to the video footage, Saudi police organized a special task force led by Major-General Saeed Al-Qarni. The task force used imaging analysis on the footage and found that a flagpole visible in the video is the Jeddah Flagpole, the tallest in the world. After identifying the area, it was simple for the police to locate and arrest most of the party-goers. Actions to arrest the others have been taken, according to a police spokesperson.
The partygoers, which include at least one Jordanian and three Lebanese foreigners, could face severe punishment. In February 2016, eleven people were sentenced to 300 lashes and a year in prison apiece, for a mixed-gender party. In 2014, a 74-year-old British man faced 350 lashes and a year in prison for being found in possession of a bottle of wine.
Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy which bases its code of law off of sharia. In addition to an ordinary police force, Saudi Arabia has a Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (informally called Hai'a), who enforce religious laws such as dress codes and gender segregation. The World Economic Forum ranked Saudi Arabia 141st out of 145 in the world regarding gender parity in 2016 while Freedom House describes their government as among the "Worst of the Worst" in terms of political and civil liberties allowed to their citizens.
