RIYADH: A 26-year-old Saudi Prince was publicly beheaded in a central square in Riyadh today [June 18] for the murder of his uncle, King Faisal, last March. … …[P]rince Faisal [ibn Musaed] shot the King with a pistol at point-blank range during a royal audience on March 25. The execution came only hours after a [Sharia] court announced that the Prince had been found guilty of regicide. Prince Faisal, accompanied to the square by a soldier, walked unsteadily to the execution spot in front of the Palace of judgement. …

…[P]olice blocked off the execution site so that the crowds could not come too close. The execution was timed with pre-dusk prayers (Asr). … But it was only announced by State Radio two hours in advance apparently to prevent outsiders travelling to Riyadh to witness the event. Spectators estimated the crowd at more than 6,000. The only member of the Royal family who witnessed the execution was Prince Salman … brother of King Faisal and his successor, King Khaled. He is the Governor of Riyadh. Prince Musaed, the father of the assassin and another brother of King Faisal, was in Riyadh … but it is not known if he watched the execution. — News agencies

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2025