Saudi Arabia executes five for terrorist attack on Imambargah

The four Saudis and one Egyptian carried out an attack on the Imam Hussain Imambargah in Dammam nine years ago

Saudi Arabia has put to death five people convicted of carrying out a deadly attack on a Shia Imambargah (house of worship), state media said, the biggest group execution this year.

According to the Saudi Press Agency on Monday, the five men — four Saudis and one Egyptian national — were tried for the terrorist attack on the Imam Hussain mosque nine years ago killing five people and injuring more than ten others in the city of Dammam located in the kingdom’s eastern province of Qatif, home to most Saudi oil and most members of its Shia minority.

State media said one man was beheaded while the others were executed by other means.

The convicts were identified as Ahmed bin Muhammad Asiri, Nessar bin Abdullah Al-Mousa, Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Mousa, and Abdullah bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Tuwaijri, all Saudi nationals, and the Egyptian, Talha Hisham Muhammad Abdo.

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Abdo, known to have connections with a terrorist outfit, was additionally convicted of firing at security forces and attempting to carry out a suicide bombing. Three of the Saudi convicts—Ahmed, Nessar, and Hamad—were found guilty of affiliations with the same terrorist outfit.

Abdullah, the fifth convict, was convicted for his involvement with the terrorist organisation and for covering up the operation without alerting security authorities.

The five individuals were charged in special courts, which handed down the death penalty for each. The executions were carried out in the Eastern Province of the country, according to the Saudi Gazette.

The terrorist group ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack. Saudi authorities have not commented on any connections between the executed individuals and ISIS.

The executions bring to 68 the total number of people put to death so far by Saudi Arabia, a frequent target for criticism by rights groups who object to its prolific use of capital punishment.

More than 20 executions have been carried out since early May for terrorism-related offences, the vast majority in the eastern province.

Last year, Saudi Arabia executed 147 people in total — more than double the 2021 figure of 69. The figure for 2022 included 81 people executed on a single day in March of that year for terrorism-related offences, an event that sparked an international outcry.

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Over 1,000 death sentences have been implemented since 2015, according to a report published by Reprieve and European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights.

The recent surge in executions in Saudi Arabia comes as the kingdom, known for its strict interpretation of Islamic law, has been trying to soften its image through sweeping social and economic changes as part of its “Vision 2030” reform agenda.