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WORLD NEWSMonday 4 January 2016

Shiite cleric’s execution in Saudi exposes Mideast divisions

AMIR VAHDAT The mass execution of clear deal with world pow- protests by Saudi Arabia’s the cleric “neither invited
JON GAMBRELL Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr along ers. Shiite minority until his arrest people to take up arms nor
Associated Press with 46 others, the largest Iran’s top leader warned in 2012. He was convicted hatched covert plots. The
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The carried out by Saudi Ara- Saudi Arabia on Sunday of of terrorism charges but de- only thing he did was pub-
execution of a Shiite cleric bia in three and a half de- “divine revenge” over al- nied advocating violence. lic criticism.”
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia Iran’s powerful Revolution-
Surrounded by policemen, a Muslim cleric addresses a crowd during a demonstration to protest put al-Nimr and three other ary Guard said Saudi Ara-
the execution of Saudi Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, shown in the poster in background, in front of Shiite dissidents to death, bia’s “medieval act of sav-
the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. Saudi Arabia announced the execution of along with a number of al- agery” would lead to the
al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others. Al-Nimr was a central figure in protests by Saudi Arabia’s Qaida militants. Al-Nimr’s “downfall” of the country’s
Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012, and his execution drew condemnation from Shiites across execution drew protests monarchy.
the region. from Shiites across the Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Min-
world, who backed his call istry said that by condemn-
(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) for reform and wider politi- ing the execution, Iran had
cal freedom for their sect. “revealed its true face rep-
in Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia cades, illustrates the king- Nimr’s death, while Riyadh While the split between Sun- resented in support for ter-
has laid bare the divisions dom’s new aggressiveness accused Tehran of sup- nis and Shiites dates back rorism.”
now gripping the Middle under King Salman. porting terrorism in a war of to the early days of Islam In Tehran, a protest outside
East, as protesters set fire Under his reign, Saudi Ara- words that threatened to and disagreements over the Saudi Embassy early
Sunday to the kingdom’s bia has led a coalition fight- escalate even as the U.S. the successor to Prophet Sunday quickly grew vio-
embassy in Tehran and ing Shiite rebels in Yemen and the European Union Muhammad, those divi- lent. Protesters threw stones
demonstrators took to the and staunchly opposed sought to calm the region. sions have only grown as and gasoline bombs at the
streets from Bahrain to Paki- regional Shiite power Iran, Al-Nimr was a central fig- they intertwine with region- embassy, setting part of the
stan. even as Tehran struck a nu- ure in Arab Spring-inspired al politics today, with both building ablaze, according
Iran and Saudi Arabia vy- to Gen. Hossein Sajedinia,
ing to be the Mideast’s top the country’s top police of-
power. ficial, the semi-official Tas-
Iran accuses Saudi Arabia nim news agency said.
of supporting terrorism in Forty people were arrested
part because it backs Syr- and investigators were pur-
ian rebel groups fighting to suing other suspects, Teh-
oust its embattled ally, Pres- ran prosecutor Abbas Ja-
ident Bashar Assad. Riyadh fari Dowlatabadi said, ac-
points to Iran’s backing of cording to the semi-official
the Lebanese Hezbollah ISNA news agency.
and other Shiite militant Iranian President Hassan
groups in the region as a Rouhani condemned Sau-
sign of its support for terror- di Arabia’s execution of
ism. Iran also has backed al-Nimr, but also branded
Shiite rebels in Yemen those who attacked the
known as Houthis. Saudi Embassy as “extrem-
Iran’s supreme leader, ists.” Hundreds of protest-
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ers later demonstrated in
condemned al-Nimr’s ex- front of the embassy and
ecution, saying Sunday in a central Tehran square.
Street signs near the em-
Video shows IS fighters executing 5 ‘spies’ for Britain bassy were replaced with
ones bearing the slain
BEIRUT (AP) — A video cir- dia wing, and shows five ly verified. The men, speak- Before the shooting, a sheikh’s name.
culating online purports men “confessing” to filming ing Arabic, are introduced masked man with a British Protesters also took to the
to show the Islamic State and photographing sites as “the enemy” and “apos- accent mocks British Prime streets across the region.
group executing five men in exchange for money tates.” Later they kneel Minister David Cameron, In Bahrain, police used
accused of spying for Brit- within Raqqa, the capital lined up in orange jump- calls the men “spies,” and water cannons and fired
ain in Syria. of the Islamic State group’s suits in the desert, where says IS will one day invade birdshot at demonstrators
The footage Sunday bears self-declared caliphate. It they are shot in the head Britain and impose their on Sitra Island, south of the
the markings of the IS me- could not be independent- by masked executioners. version of Islamic law. capital, Manama, wound-
ing some.