Friday, June 29, 2012

Saudi stunt 'drifter' to be beheaded

A Saudi court has sentenced a stunt “drifter” to death by decapitation for inadvertently killing two people, while performing a car stunt near the capital Riyadh.

"The court of Onaiza (a central region north of Riyadh) handed down a sentence to kill the drifter 'Mutannish' by beheading as punishment for his heinous deed and to deter others who tamper with the nation's security," Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting Saudi newspaper Al Watan.

Identified as "Mutannish" or "he who ignores" in Arabic, the middle-aged joyrider fled the scene after reportedly killing the two men while performing the stunt. He, however, was later arrested by the police.

Faced with limited options for entertainment, Saudi men have turned to "drifting," a pastime, in which drivers make their cars spin and skid at high speed.

The kingdom’s unwritten penal code defines drifting-related deaths as criminally-negligent homicides.

In 2005, a Saudi naval officer, convicted of killing three minors in a stunt-driving accident, was handed down death sentence, which was later commuted to 3,000 lashes and 20 years in prison.

Last year, Saudi Arabia executed 82 people, most of them by beheading, according to Amnesty International.

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