Saudi Arabia beheads 2 Saudis, Yemeni for murders

Saudi authorities on Thursday beheaded two Saudi nationals and a Yemeni convicted in three separate murders, the Interior Ministry said. In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, the ministry said that one of the incidents involved a Saudi named Abdullah al-Doussari, convicted of killing his grandmother, Sha'ia al-Doussari, by hitting her in the back of the head with a wooden pole to steal her money. There were no details on the two other murders. The executions took place in the al-Salel province near the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the ministry statement said. On Wednesday, five Saudi nationals were beheaded for rape and murder of a teenager in the holy city of Medina. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which those convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery are executed in public with a sword. Thursday's executions brought to 127 the number of people beheaded in the kingdom this year, according to a count by The Associated Press. Saudi Arabia beheaded 38 people last year and 83 people in 2005.