Four sentenced to death over assassination plot of top leader in Saudi Arabia

Four sentenced to death over assassination plot of top leader in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: A Saudi court has sentenced four people to death for links to regional rival Iran, alleging that they were plotting the assassination of “prominent figures”, state media said Thursday.

“The criminal court has sentenced four terrorists to death for forming a cell for Iran,” the state-owned Al-Ekhbariya TV reported.

“The terrorists were trained in camps in Iran” and “planned to assassinate prominent figures,” Al-Ekhbariya said, without giving any more details on those convicted.

Saudi Arabia and Iran, have a long history of rivalry. They today stand on opposing sides of conflicts in the Middle East, from Syria to Yemen.

In December 2016, a Saudi court sentenced 15 people to death for spying for Iran, according to local media.

Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom. - APP/AFP