Saudi Arabian police detain a woman for a video in which she was wearing a miniskirt
(CNN) -- Police in Saudi Arabia have arrested a woman who appeared in a social media video wearing a miniskirt while walking through a historic city.
The woman, who was questioned by Riyadh police, said "the viral videos were posted by an account attributed to her without her knowledge," according to the statement.
The spokesman for the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice - also known as the religious police - said Sunday the group was reviewing the issue and taking "necessary steps" to address a viral video featuring to a "girl in offensive clothing".
Saudi Arabia adheres to a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Women in that country often wear loose fitting clothing, robes known as abaya, and Saudi women must cover their hair.
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The video shows the woman walking down an empty street in the historic city of Ushayqir, according to the police statement.
Local media have reported that Ushayqar officials have called on the provincial governor and the police to take action against the woman.
Ushayqir, a city in Najd province, is the birthplace of Wahhabism, the kingdom's ultra-conservative school of Islamic thought.
Discussion in social networks
The incident has sparked a debate on social media.
Many have jumped to the defense of women. Twitter activist Fatima al-Issa wrote: "If she was a Westerner, they would have praised her waist and lovely eyes, but since she is a Saudi they ask to judge her!"
Social media users have called the woman "Model Khulood" but police have not released her identity.
Under directives announced in 2016, the religious police — better known as the Haia — can no longer detain people they say break the kingdom's strict standards of moral conduct.
However, the religious police must report "bad behavior" by individuals to the police, according to the official Saudi press agency.
Historically, the role of Saudi Arabia's religious police has been to ensure the population's adherence to Islamic laws, such as the prohibition of alcohol and drugs, gender segregation, and ensuring that women are properly covered.