Manama: Saudi Arabia has executed a Saudi man over armed attacks on banks in the Red Sea city of Jeddah 16 years ago.
The interior ministry said that Jameel Bin Mohammad Al Aseeri had three accomplices, two Saudi nationals and one foreigner, during the attacks.
The four gangsters covered their faces and stormed Al Rajhi Bank, fired in the air to scare the customers and staff. They dragged the manager out of his office and forced him and the tellers to give them the cash they had.
According to the case documents, they left the bank with SR85,000 (Dh82,243) and $4,000 (Dh14,690).
In the second attack, they raided another bank, fired in the air and made away with SR190,000, Saudi daily Okaz reported on Monday.
In his confession, the ring leader said he had provided his accomplices with guns after they agreed to storm the first bank.
He said he was the one who fired bullets to scare the staff and the customers and that his accomplices took the money from the tellers.
Police said the main suspect had criminal precedents, unlike his accomplices.
The first court to review their cases sentenced all four defendants to death, but the verdict was challenged and another court decided the death sentence for the ring leader and 25 years in prison for the others.
However, the verdict was appealed a second time and the court ruled 25 years for the ring leader and 20 for the accomplices.
The case was taken to the high court and the judges ruled the death penalty for the leader and 25 years for the others.
Al Aseeri was executed on Sunday after all legal avenues were exhausted.
