Muslim pilgrims pray around the holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca during Hajj pilgrimage
Muslim pilgrims pray around the holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi ArabiaReuters

Saudi Arabia has arrested 135 people for alleged connections with terror groups such as the Islamic State, with many accused of returning from conflict zones to "destabilise the country".

Twenty-six foreigners, most from Syria, are among those arrested on terrorism charges after nation-wide raids, Saudi's Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki has said.

At least 40 of those arrested are suspected of travelling to 'zones of conflict', joining extremist groups and training in the handling of weapons, and they have been accused of returning to the Saudi Arabia to "destabilise the country".

Several of the arrested men are accused of plotting to attack the Shiite-dominated Eastern Province in the country. Seven Shias were killed in the province last month, with the government blaming the attack on ISIS-supporters.

Most of the foreign nationals arrested are from conflict-ridden countries.

Apart from Syrians, the other foreign nationals arrested include three Yemenis, one Egyptian, an Iraqi, a Bahraini, a Lebanese, and an Afghan, according to Al Jazeera.

The arrests come a month after ISIS leader Abu Bakr- al Baghdadi had called for attacks in Saudi Arabia and "volcanoes of jihad" everywhere. He had called on the Sunni followers in Saudi Arabia to wage attacks on Shias.

Saudi Arabia is among the several allies conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.