Manama: A court in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday sentenced a defendant to death after it found him guilty of firing at on-duty policemen with the intent to kill them.
Charges levelled against the Saudi defendant included attacking police patrols with a gun and shooting at them, taking part in rallies and riots in Qatif while carrying a weapon to shoot policemen, raising slogans against the state and the rulers, purchasing and using a gun illegally, and harbouring a wanted fugitive.
Other charges, cited by Saudi news site Sabq, included not honouring a past pledge he made upon his release in a previous security-related case, monitoring streets and securing a safe passage for a wanted fugitive and taking banned drugs.
The Specialised Criminal Court said that its death penalty ruling was based on the heinous nature of the crimes committed by the defendants.
Under Saudi laws, the capital punishment case will have to be reviewed by two other higher courts before it becomes final and referred to the king for approval.
