KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia: A Saudi man was arrested for allegedly threatening to attack women drivers, the Interior Ministry said Friday, following a royal decree that ends a ban on women driving in the kingdom. Many Saudis welcomed Tuesday’s announcement by King Salman lifting the ban by next year, but some expressed confusion or outrage after the reversal of a policy that has been backed for decades by prominent preachers. The ministry said on Twitter that police in the kingdom’s Eastern Province had arrested the suspect, who was not identified, and referred him to the public prosecutor. “I swear to God, any woman whose car breaks down – I will burn her and her car,” a man said.

Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Saudi media, including the Arabic-language Okaz newspaper, quoted the Eastern Province’s police spokesman as saying the man in custody was in his 20s and that the arrest had been ordered by the province’s governor. Separately, Okaz reported late Thursday that authorities directed the interior minister to prepare an anti-harassment law within 60 days.

The directions cited “the danger posed by harassment ... and its contradiction with the values of Islam.”

Saudi authorities have in the past taken a broad view of sexual harassment, including attempts by men to get to know unrelated women by asking to exchange phone numbers or commenting on their beauty.

In a country where gender segregation has been strictly enforced for decades, the end of the driving ban means women will have more contact with unrelated men.

In other developments, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, which has begun sponsoring concerts and shows, said Friday its website had been the target of cyberattacks from outside the kingdom.

The GEA was set up last year as part of the Vision 2030 reform program to provide entertainment options for Saudis, who are accustomed to traveling abroad to see shows and visit amusement parks in nearby Dubai and further afield.

It said on Twitter it was working to end the attacks, which began early Thursday, to prevent any impact to its website or social media accounts.

“The source of the subversive attacks, which aim to harm the authority and its efforts, is being identified,” it added.

The GEA organized a big program of concerts and performances last weekend for the 87th anniversary of Saudi Arabia’s foundation.

The festivities included a pageant operetta which allowed women to enter a sports stadium in Riyadh for the first time and a party where men and women danced to music in a central street – drawing some criticism from conservatives in the kingdom.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia put out an alert about the Shamoon cybervirus, following an attack on the Labor Ministry.