Saudi Arabia executes two Bangladeshi nationals over act authorities called indecent at a Mecca mosque; Bangladesh says it received no advance notice

Saudi Arabia executed Bangladeshi nationals Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar over what authorities described as an “immoral” or “indecent act” inside a mosque in Mecca, according to the Saudi Interior Ministry.

The ministry said a court imposed death sentences under ta’zir, which allows judges broad discretion where fixed penalties do not exist. The court called the sentence “appropriate” because of the “severity of violating a holy site,” and the verdicts were upheld and finalized by royal order.

Online posts said the couple were newlyweds executed for a forehead kiss, while other posts alleged they were caught in an explicit sexual act. The ministry has not publicly disclosed the exact nature of the act, which mosque was involved or what evidence was used.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said neither its embassy nor its consulate received advance notification of the executions.