The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has disclosed that it has executed 81 convicted criminals, following their involvement in terrorism and capital crimes.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) also reports that the convicts included members of al-Qaeda, ISIS and backers of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Out of the 81 convicts that were killed, 73 were Saudi citizens, seven were Yemeni and one was a Syrian national.
Citing a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the SPA said, “These individuals, totaling 81, were convicted of various crimes including murdering innocent men, women and children.
“Crimes committed by these individuals also include pledging allegiance to foreign terrorist organisations, such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the Houthis, targeting residents in the Kingdom and traveling to regional conflict zones to join terrorist organisations.”
The SPA further disclosed that the executed individuals were guilty of targeting government personnel and vital economic sites, the killing of law enforcement officers and maiming their bodies, and planting land mines to target police vehicles.
In addition to murder, the convictions also included punishment for kidnapping, torture, rape and smuggling weapons and bombs into the country.
According to SPA, the convicts had been tried by 13 judges and gone through a three-stage judicial process.
The Saudi news agency said, “The accused were provided with the right to an attorney and were guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process, which found them guilty of committing multiple heinous crimes that left a large number of civilians and law enforcement officers dead.
“The kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the entire world.”
