Clark appeal fails as Saudi man executed

Saudi Arabian authorities tonight confirmed a man Prime Minister Helen Clark had made an urgent appeal to save from execution had been beheaded.

Hadi 'Ali Suliaman, whose brother lives in New Zealand, was executed in the southern city of Najran, according to an interior Ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Hadi 'Ali Suliaman was convicted of injuring a guard when he opened fire on a truck carrying prisoners, the ministry said.

SPA said he was trying to help a prisoner escape from the truck when he shot the security guard. It was not clear when the attack took place and whether the prisoner managed to escape.

The man's brother, Meshal 'Ali Suliaman, had called on the New Zealand Government to take action to prevent the execution.

A spokesperson for Miss Clark said she made a personal appeal for Hadi 'Ali Suliaman because his brother lived in New Zealand and the Government's stance against the death penalty.

Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which those convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery are executed in public with a sword.

- NZPA