A Saudi Arabian prince has been executed for shooting dead a man during a brawl three years ago in the capital Riyadh, the interior ministry has said.
Prince Turki bin Saud bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer was put to death in the capital, Riyadh, according to a report by the Saudi state news service. While the report did not detail the method used, most death penalties in Saudi Arabia are carried out by beheading in a public square.
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The prince is the 134th person to be put to death this year, according to a list compiled by the AFP news agency.
10,000 people “watched silently as the executioner swung a sword with a golden hilt, but then thousands broke into chants of ‘God is great!’ and ‘Justice is done!’” New York Times article wrote .
The prince had pleaded guilty to shooting his compatriot, the interior ministry statement said.
Announcing the execution, the ministry said it would assure everyone the government was "keen to preserve security and achieve justice".
The victim's family refused offers of "blood money" by which they would receive financial compensation in return for not demanding the death sentence, Al-Arabiya reported.
Most people executed in Saudi Arabia are convicted for murder and drug trafficking although nearly 50 people were put to death for "terrorism" on a single day in January including the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
It is rare for royal family members to be executed.
Tuesday’s execution was the first time that a member of the royal family had been put to death for murder by the state since 1975, when Prince Faisal bin Musaid was beheaded in Riyadh for assassinating King Faisal.
Prince Turki bin Saud bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer was put to death in the capital, Riyadh, according to a report by the Saudi state news service. While the report did not detail the method used, most death penalties in Saudi Arabia are carried out by beheading in a public square.
The prince is the 134th person to be put to death this year, according to a list compiled by the AFP news agency.
10,000 people “watched silently as the executioner swung a sword with a golden hilt, but then thousands broke into chants of ‘God is great!’ and ‘Justice is done!’” New York Times article wrote .
The prince had pleaded guilty to shooting his compatriot, the interior ministry statement said.
Announcing the execution, the ministry said it would assure everyone the government was "keen to preserve security and achieve justice".
The victim's family refused offers of "blood money" by which they would receive financial compensation in return for not demanding the death sentence, Al-Arabiya reported.
Most people executed in Saudi Arabia are convicted for murder and drug trafficking although nearly 50 people were put to death for "terrorism" on a single day in January including the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
It is rare for royal family members to be executed.