Two Indonesians beheaded in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH (AFP): Two Indonesians convicted of murder were beheaded in the Mecca region of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, in the first execution reported so far this year in the Gulf kingdom, the interior ministry announced.

It said the two men killed the wife of a fellow Indonesian after breaking into their home to steal her jewellery.

A total of 29 executions were announced last year in Saudi Arabia, a country which strictly applies Islamic laws. The number was far lower than the 123 executions reported in 1997.