Saudi Arabia executes citizen who planned terrorist attack

Ahmed Al Badr spied for 'hostile country' and was given weapons training at overseas camp, says Interior Ministry

Saudi Arabia referred Ahmed Al Badr to a special court that convicted him of 'corruption on earth'. Getty

Saudi Arabia executed a citizen on Tuesday who it said planned a terrorist attack in the kingdom after joining a training camp abroad.

Ahmed Al Badr illegally left the kingdom for training on the use of weapons and bombs provided by a "hostile country", the Saudi Interior Ministry said.

It said Al Badr was a spy who returned to Saudi Arabia in possession of weapons "to carry out a terrorist act in order to disturb the security of the kingdom".

He was referred to a special court that convicted him of "corruption on earth" and sentenced him to death.

He was executed in the eastern region, the ministry added.

In March, Saudi Arabia executed two citizens convicted of joining a terrorist cell to target security forces.

They were found to have joined a terrorist cell, supplied weapons and ammunition, and tracked and photographed security sites and headquarters in the kingdom with the aim of targeting and killing security forces, the Interior Ministry said.

The two men embraced extremist thoughts known as “takfiri”, it said.