Saudi kidnapper executed

RIYADH: A Saudi who kidnapped and tried to rape his employer was put to death on Tuesday in the kingdom's 64th execution of the year.

Mufrih bin Ahmed Khamis worked as the victim's driver, the interior ministry said in a statement.

A court found that he consumed alcohol before abducting her and her baby, "taking advantage of the fact that he drove her to the school where she worked," it said.

"He beat her, handcuffed her and placed tape over her mouth. He then drove her to an isolated location and tried to rape her."



After stealing her money and telephone, Khamis abandoned the woman and child, the ministry added.

After his trial and conviction, Khamis was executed in the southwestern city of Abha.

Most people sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword.

The kingdom executed 47 people in a single day on January 2 on "terrorism" charges.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia executed 153 people, mostly for drug trafficking or murder, according to an AFP count.

Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades.

However, the tally was far behind those of China and Iran.



The kingdom has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.

It is the only country in the world that bans women from driving, forcing them to rely on male relatives or hired drivers.