Saudi Arabia executes US citizen convicted of father's murder
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday executed an American citizen who was convicted of torturing and killing his father, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The death sentence of Bishoy Sharif Naji Naseef was carried out in the Riyadh area.
A total of 91 people - 19 of them foreigners - have been executed so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on state media reports.
"We are aware of those reports and are monitoring the situation, but don't have any specifics," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
He said that US consulate representatives last met with Naseef in July and that prior to his execution he had not been identified as being wrongfully detained.
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Though the mode of execution was not specified, Saudi Arabia has used beheading in the past.
According to SPA, a court determined that Naseef, whose age was not disclosed, allegedly assaulted and choked his Egyptian father to death, mutilated his body after his death, engaged in drug use, and made an attempt on another person's life.
Last year, Saudi Arabia ranked third in the world for the number of executions carried out, according to an Amnesty International report.
The number of recorded executions tripled from 65 executions in 2021 to 196 in 2022 in the kingdom.
In June, Saudi Arabia executed three Saudi men from the eastern region of the country.
It said the Specialised Criminal Court found them guilty of "joining a terrorist cell, possessed and been trained in the use of weapons, attacking security centres and security men with the intent of killing them".
Two of them were also charged with rape and adultery.
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