Most of the 47 executed were convicted of al-Qaeda attacks in Saudi Arabia a decade ago, but four, including prominent cleric Nimr al-Nimr, were Shiite Muslims accused of shooting policemen during anti-government protests in recent years.
Advertisement
Saudi Arabia severs diplomatic ties with Iran
Mr Jubeir said Saudi Arabia would not let Iran undermine its security, accusing it of having “distributed weapons and planted terrorist cells in the region”.
Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said that Iranian diplomatic personnel had 48 hours to leave the country and all Saudi diplomatic personnel in Iran were being recalled home.
As Patterson changed wardrobe, TCU’s Alamo Bowl momentum shifted
During the three and a half regular season games Adams sat out due to injury this year, the Ducks played downright poor football. Bram Kohlhausen ran for an eight-yard touchdown in the third OT, and OR couldn’t answer with the final throw being knocked away.
It exposed the sectarian divisions gripping the region and also illustrated the kingdom’s new aggressiveness under King Salman.
India edge Afghanistan for seventh SAFF Championship success
Two minutes on, Chhetri received a cross from Narzary into the box and the skipper headed the ball for an unmarked Jeje. Afghanistan have been one of the most impressive teams in the tournament, thrashing Sri Lanka 5-0 in the semifinal.
The dispute between the two nations probably will undermine already-stumbling efforts to end the war in Syria, where Saudi Arabia backs largely Sunni militants and Iran supports the regime of President Bashar Assad.
The execution risks stirring renewed unrest among Shiites in the kingdom, and drew an immediate harsh response from Iran, which has warned in the past that carrying out the death sentence on Nimr could cost Saudi Arabia dearly.
In Tehran angry Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy late on Saturday, smashing furniture and starting fires before they were dispersed by Iranian police.
He said GCC countries stand united in support of the Kingdom and in condemning these terrorist acts on the Saudi missions in Iran.
“Saudi Arabia formally breaks diplomatic ties with Iran”, geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, noted on Twitter.
He went on to add that Iran’s history is full of negative interference and hostility in Arab issues, and it is always accompanied by destruction.
Nimr was arrested by Saudi security forces in 2012, after being shot in the legs during a auto chase in the mostly Shiite eastern province of Qatif, where the protests had been concentrated.
The interior ministry said the 47 men had been convicted of adopting the radical “takfiri” ideology, joining “terrorist organisations” and implementing various “criminal plots”.
Strong rhetoric from Tehran was matched by Iran’s Shia allies across the region, with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanese militia Hezbollah, describing the execution as “a message of blood”. Iran also has backed Shiite rebels in Yemen known as Houthis.
A Shi’ite protester carries a poster of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration outside the Saudi embassy in Sanaa October 18, 2014. “The only thing he did was public criticism”.
In Istanbul, hundreds of protesters, some carrying pictures of Nimr and chanting “Saudi Arabia will pay the price”, gathered outside its consulate on Sunday as riot police stood guard.
– Protesters took to the streets of Tehran, occupied the Saudi embassy and set fire to Kuwait’s embassy.
Around 40 people were arrested.
Nimr, executed along with three other Shi’ites and dozens of al Qaeda members, is seen in Iran as the champion of a Shi’ite minority oppressed in Saudi Arabia, and Tehran had made clear that it saw the terrorism charges against him as fabricated.
Western powers sought to calm the tensions.
Clinton said she joined other leaders in “statements of concern” about the executions, specifically calling out the Obama administration, European governments and human rights groups.
In Bahrain, police fired tear gas and birdshot at demonstrators on Sitra Island, south of the capital, Manama, wounding some. He remained a staunch critic of the ruling Al Saud family, but maintained that he never advocated violence.
Advertisement
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned the death of Al-Nimr, but also called the attack on the embassy “unjustifiable”.
