SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi man beheaded for shooting death of compatriot

A Saudi man was beheaded Friday in the eastern city of Taif for killing a compatriot with a handgun, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Saad bin Mubarak al-Harithi was executed after being convicted for shooting Badr bin Mishal al-Harithi in the stomach, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. Badr later died of his injuries, the statement said. Taif, in Mecca province, is located 750 kilometers (466 miles) southeast of the capital Riyadh.

The statement did not say whether the 2 men were related.

Friday's execution brings to at least 4 the number of people executed this year in Saudi Arabia, where beheadings are public and done with a sword. Last year, at least 81 people were beheaded.

Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islam, the death penalty is imposed for murder, rape, drug trafficking and armed robbery.