Saudi sentences Yemeni man to death for theatre stabbings

A Saudi Arabian court sentenced a Yemeni man to death for stabbing three performers at a theatre show in the capital last month in an attack ordered by al-Qaeda, state-run TV reported.

Another defendant was jailed for 12 1/2 years, Al Ekhbariya channel reported, citing the criminal court. The attack, in which three people were injured, was ordered by al-Qaeda in neighbouring Yemen, the broadcaster said. It didn’t specify where it got the information.

#BREAKING: Riyadh police arrested an #Arab resident in possession of a knife after he stabbed two men and a woman who were members of a theatrical group. pic.twitter.com/ULbWsj3SlF

— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) November 11, 2019

The mid-November attack in Riyadh came as the conservative kingdom undergoes a drastic overhaul of its social norms spearheaded by its young Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Saudis have been granted freedoms that include the loosening of rules on women’s attire and travel as well as the mixing of genders in conjunction with a plan to wean the economy off oil.

The court rulings were preliminary and both defendants can file appeals.