Man beheaded in Saudi Arabia
An Iraqi convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping was beheaded in Saudi Arabia today, taking to at least 28 the number of people executed this year, the Interior Ministry said in Riyadh.
Habib al-Meshalawi broke into the house of Saleh al-Muteiri, a Saudi, threatened him with a gun, stole his car and money and kidnapped his son, Dahi, before being caught by police, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
It did not say when or where the incident happened.
The execution took place in the province of Hafr al-Baten, 250 miles east of the capital Riyadh.
At least 81 people were beheaded in the conservative kingdom last year.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest shrines, follows a strict interpretation of Islam and imposes the death penalty for murder, rape, drug trafficking and armed robbery.
Executions are carried out in public with a sword.
