3 Bangladeshi men beheaded in Saudi Arabia

Three Bangladeshi men convicted of killing a fellow national and raping his wife were beheaded.

Photo: 3 Bangladeshi men beheaded in Saudi Arabia

In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, the ministry said that Thakeer Abdul-Rahman, Tafeel Abdul-Rasheed and Leon Juli stormed the home of the fellow national, whose name was not given.

"They beat him up, threatened him with a knife, blindfolded him and used a rope to strangle him," according to the statement.

It said the three men stole the couple's money and gold jewelry before taking the wife to a remote place and raping her.

The men were executed in the capital Riyadh, the statement added.

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.

Friday's executions brought to 116 the number of people beheaded in the kingdom this year, according to a count by The Associated Press. Saudi Arabia beheaded 38 people last year and 83 people in 2005.