RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 20 (UPI) -- Saudi authorities Tuesday beheaded two men convicted of drug trafficking and murder, the Interior Ministry said.
A ministry statement said Seif bin Alyan al-Zoghi, a Saudi national, killed a compatriot by spraying him with automatic fire following an argument in the street and was convicted of murder.
The second man executed, a Pakistani, the statement said, was put to death for smuggling heroin into the kingdom.
Tuesday's twin executions brought to four the number of people put to death in Saudi this year. Some 52 people were executed in the oil-rich kingdom last year. The majority were convicted drug dealers.
Public executions by sword are being carried out according to Islamic law against people convicted of drug trafficking, murder and rape.
