Saudi executes four nationals for terrorist acts in restive Qatif

Saudi Arabia has executed four nationals for terrorism offences in restive Qatif Province, the Ministry of Interior has announced.

Saudi Press Agency cited a ministry statement as confirming the four men were Zaher Abdulraheem Hussein Al-Basri, Yousef Ali Abdullah Al-Mishaikhesh, Mahdi Mohammed Hasan Al-Sayegh and Amjad Naji Hasan Al Emaibed.

The men were executed for a series of capital crimes ranging from violent demonstrations, to attacking police patrols and stations, spreading anti-government leaflets, preventing patrols form carrying out their duties and providing shelter to wanted terrorists, according to the statement.

Other crimes included training terrorists to manufacture explosives, throwing explosives at security patrols, joining terrorist groups, firing at security forces and killing or injuring them, financing drug and weapons dealers, shouting anti-court chants, setting tires ablaze and announcing disloyalty to the monarch.

Of the four, Al-Basri had pleaded guilty to working against the government, shooting at police stations and security patrols and police at Qatif and Tarout, participating in riots and receiving training in Molotov cocktails, according to local reports.

Al-Mishaikhesh was found guilty of firing twice of firing twice at Al-Awamiyah police station, wounding two security men and reporting the movement of patrols to terrorist groups.

Al-Sayegh was found guilty of taking part in attacks against secuirty forces, using Molotov cocktails to target security forces and the Qatif court building. He also obtained weapons and ammunition, participated in riots and was guilty of drug abuse, trafficking and training with a terrorist group.

The fourth member, Al Emaibed, was executed for joining a terrorist group that planned to attack Tarout police station, detonating a gas cylinder near the station, receiving training in the use of machine guns and pistols and participating in demonstrations aimed at hindering security patrols.

The executions come following rising tensions in Qatif, which is home to the kingdom’s Shia minority, in recent weeks with several attacks on security forces reported.

These included separate incidents on July 4 and 6 that saw two police officers killed and eight others injured.

Read: Two Saudi policemen injured in latest Qatif attack

Saudi ruler King Salman vowed on Saturday to punish those responsible in calls to the relatives of those killed.

Security forces have arrested 34 terror suspects in raids across the kingdom over the last two weeks, according to a Monday update to the Nafethah website, which allows communication between prisoners and their families.

Among those arrested were 29 Saudis, two Yemenis, a Nigerian, an Omani and a Libyan, with the latest additions bringing the total number of detainees on the Nafethah list to 5,115.