Saudi Arabia: 2 expats arrested for killing wives

Cairo: Saudi police said they had arrested two expatriates for murdering their wives due to disputes in two separate cases of domestic violence.

Police in the Saudi holy city of Mecca said they had arrested an Egyptian man who had fatally stabbed his wife and her mother due to a row.

The attacker is a male nurse at a hospital in Mecca where his Egyptian wife also worked.

The murder happened at a residence designated for the hospital staff from different nationalities, Saudi news portal Sabq reported, citing health sources.

The murder sent shockwaves across the hospital workers and the health community in Mecca, the report said.

In a separate incident, police in Riyadh arrested another expatriate for fatally assaulting his wife due to a dispute between the couple.

A spokesman for the city’s police said they had arrested the man – a Sudanese - for killing his wife who held the same citizenship.

Saudi Arabia, a country of around 32.2 million people, is home to a large community of expatriate workers.

Murder is punishable by death in the kingdom.

A Saudi man was executed in Riyadh on Saturday after he was convicted of murdering a compatriot due to a dispute between them, the Interior Ministry said. He was arrested.

After investigations, he was referred to a competent court that found him guilty and sentenced him to death, the ministry added in a statement.

The verdict was later upheld by appeals and supreme courts, and approved by a royal order, making it final.

It was not clear when the murder exactly happened.