Nadia Al-Fawaz Saudi Gazette ABHA — Seven Saudis convicted of armed robbery were executed here Wednesday, the Interior Ministry announced. The seven — Sarhan Al-Mashaikh, Saeed Al-Zahrani, Ali Al-Shahri, Nasser Al-Qahtani, Saeed Al-Shahrani, Abdulaziz Al-Amri and Ali Al-Qahtani — were charged with organizing a criminal group, armed robbery and raiding and breaking into jewelry stores in 2005, and sentenced to death in 2009. They were executed “as a punishment to them and to deter others” from carrying out similar crimes, said the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), adding that their fellow-robbers had been sentenced to various jail terms and lashes. The convicts, aged between 20 and 24, were found guilty of breaking into several jewelry stores and carrying out robberies on the Day of Arafat (pinnacle of Haj) after threatening salesmen at gunpoint. The charges against the young men also included drinking alcohol and firing at people. Police in Asir region nabbed the culprits following a massive manhunt. They confessed to committing around 50 armed robberies and thefts. The Abha General Court sentenced them to death in 2009 while 16 accomplices were awarded jail terms from one year to 15 years besides lashes. Two years ago, the Appeals Court upheld the verdict and later the Supreme Court endorsed it. Also on Wednesday, authorities executed another national, Fada Al-Subaie in Makkah region, after he was convicted of murdering a compatriot.
