Saudi religious leader: hijackers must die

General Mufti of Saudi Arabia sheikh Abd-al-Aziz al Al-Sheikh has demanded that the Chechen hijackers of the Russian Tu-154 jet be punished according to the Shariah laws, which implies capital punishment. Mufti is a major religious authority in the Islamic world and his viewpoint may influence the decision making on the hijackers' fate. The mufti also demands that organisers of a number of terrorist explosions in the kingdom also be punished in compliance with the Shariah laws. In an interview given to Al-Jazirah newspaper Mufti said that the terrorists, having committed their crimes on the peaceful and safe territory of Saudi Arabia, had opened the gates of evil, encroached on five main commandments, including security, stability and tranquillity, and aroused fear and horror. This should be punished, sheikh Abd-al-Aziz al Al-Sheikh is quoted by RIA Novosti as saying.