Saudi Arabia executes 81 people for terrorism-related offences

Death sentences were handed down for plotting violence in the kingdom

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 05: The Saudi Arabia national flag is seen above the Saudi Arabia Consulate on October 5, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey.  Saudi Consulate officials have said that missing writer and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi went missing after leaving the consulate, however the statement directly contradicts other sources including Turkish officials who believe that the writer is still inside and being held by Saudi officials. Jamal Khashoggi a Saudi writer critical of the Kingdom and a contributor to the Washington Post was living in self -imposed exile in the U.S.  (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
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Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it executed 81 people in one day for terrorism-related offences.

All of them were “found guilty of committing multiple heinous crimes”, the state Saudi Press Agency said.

They included people with links to ISIS, Al Qaeda, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and “other terrorist organisations".

They were sentenced for plotting attacks in the kingdom, including plans to kill “a large number” of civilians and members of the security forces, the SPA said.

“They also include convictions for targeting government personnel and vital economic sites, the killing of law enforcement officers and maiming their bodies, and planting landmines to attack police vehicles.

“The convictions include crimes of kidnapping, torture, rape, smuggling arms and bombs into the kingdom,” SPA said.

Of the 81 people put to death, 73 were Saudis, seven were Yemeni and one was Syrian.

SPA said all those executed were tried in Saudi courts, in proceedings overseen by 13 judges held over three separate stages for each individual.

“The kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten stability,” it said.

Updated: March 12, 2022, 5:23 PM