Panic at Riyadh airport as cargo of 300 cobras escapes

Panic at Riyadh airport as cargo of 300 cobras escapes:

A passenger arriving from Cairo caused panic at Riyadh airport when around 300 live poisonous cobras escaped from his luggage, a newspaper has reported.

Al-Jazirah quoted eyewitnesses and officials at King Khaled International Airport as saying the cobras escaped after a customs officer insisted that the man’s suitcases be opened for a search.

Mohammad al-Dakheel, head of the airport’s customs, said the snakes were killed in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture.

He declined to reveal the number of the snakes, but eyewitnesses estimated it at around 300.

It was not immediately known why the passenger, whose nationality was not disclosed, was carrying the snakes.