Saudi Arabia confirms execution of 37 prisoners on 'terror' offences
Saudi Arabia has executed 37 people for terror-related crimes, the country's interior minister announced.
In a statement broadcast on state-owned media, the minister claimed those killed were from different parts of the country and had adopted extremist ideologies with the aim of causing chaos among civilians.
Those executed on Tuesday were accused of hacking security headquarters and killing a number of officers, the Saudi Press Agency statement said.
According to Amnesty International, one of those killed was under the age of 18-years-old at the time of his arrest.
They were executed in locations across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Mecca and Medina.
All those killed were Saudi nationals. One of the 37 killed was beheaded and crucified.
Typically executions are carried out by beheading in Saudi Arabia, with crucifixion after an execution reserved from crimes deemed more serious by the state.
Lynn Maalouf, Middle East Research Director at Amnesty International, said: “Today’s mass execution is a chilling demonstration of the Saudi Arabian authorities callous disregard for human life.
"It is also yet another gruesome indication of how the death penalty is being used as a political tool to crush dissent from within the country’s Shi’a minority."
According to the non-governmental organisation, at least 104 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia this year.
On Sunday, ISIS claimed responsibility for an atack on a Saudi security building in the town of Zulfi in which all four gunmen were killed and three security officers were wounded.