Middle East News
Saudi Arabia chops off hand of Egyptian for theft
Nov 5, 2007, 12:56 GMT
Riyadh - An Egyptian convicted of theft in Saudi Arabia had his right hand chopped off on Monday - the first hand amputation to be carried out in the kingdom in 2007.
The Egyptian national had his right hand cut off after he was convicted of pick-pocketing inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, a Saudi ministry of interior statement said.
The ministry warned all those who toyed with the idea of committing a similar crime to beware of the punishment prescribed in the Islamic Sharia law.
Saudi Arabia implements a harsh, puritanical version of Islam, known as Wahhabism named after the founder of the rigid Islamic school of thought, Muhammad bin Abdel-Wahhab.
Under Saudi law, if a convicted thief offends again, his left hand will be cut off.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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