Saudi Arabia executes 2 Bangladeshis over ‘indecent acts’ in holy city of Mecca

Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals, a man and a woman, after they were convicted of committing “indecent acts” in a mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

Bangladesh said it was not informed before the sentences were carried out and has sought information from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Interior Ministry said the Bangladeshis were executed because of “the gravity and seriousness of their actions in violating the sanctity of both time and place”. It did not elaborate.

Also on Monday, Saudi authorities sent brief alerts to residents of the capital Riyadh, with Agence France-Presse journalists receiving phone messages warning of “a hostile aerial threat” weeks into intensified Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Hours later, Yemen’s Houthis claimed a series of missile and drone attacks on Riyadh’s international airport and other targets across Saudi Arabia over the past two days.

“A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh City to alert of a potential danger,” Saudi civil defence said in a statement on social media, also reporting the same warning for the nearby Kharj area.

The warning, which often signals incoming Houthi attacks, was lifted soon after.

In a statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had carried out six military operations over the previous 48 hours using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

Saree said the attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as well as Aramco facilities in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast and the Shaybah oilfield near the border with the United Arab Emirates.

He said other strikes hit Abha International Airport, radar installations and Khamis Mushait airbase in southwestern Saudi Arabia, as well as a Saudi naval force camp and a separate radar site in Bir Askar in the kingdom’s south.

The attack on Riyadh airport was carried out in three stages and achieved “accurate and direct” strikes, Saree said, describing the operations as retaliation for more than 200 Saudi strikes and missile attacks on Houthi-held areas over the previous 48 hours.

He said the group would continue operations “towards the Saudi interior” and pursue a policy of “escalation for escalation” until attacks on Yemen cease.

The attacks come amid a sharp escalation in hostilities between the Iran-backed group and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis has launched daily raids in Yemen in support of the internationally recognised government in the country’s long-running civil war.

The conflict, dormant for years, erupted again in July and intensified after the Iran-backed group seized the Red Sea coast last month.

The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi targets in recent weeks, including vessels in the Red Sea, oil facilities and Riyadh’s airport, where 13 people were killed in a single attack last week.

Meanwhile, a major Saudi investment conference has been postponed to next year, its chief executive officer said on Monday.

The annual Future Investment Initiative (FII), often dubbed “Davos in the Desert”, was scheduled to take place from October 26-29.

For nearly a decade, it has served as a showcase for Saudi Arabia’s efforts to attract global investors, business leaders and heads of state.

The postponement deals a blow to the kingdom’s ambitions to draw foreign capital, diversify its oil-reliant economy and push its reform agenda.

In a statement posted on social media, FII Institute CEO Maha al-Saud said the gathering would instead take place in 2027, saying organisers wanted to ensure the anniversary edition delivered the “full scale” and “extraordinary quality” expected by participants.

She said new dates would be announced soon, while current registrations and partnerships would remain valid.

Three sources familiar with the matter had earlier told Agence France-Presse the conference would be postponed.

One source said organisers “won’t announce a new date soon” while another questioned who would be willing to “risk flying to Riyadh these days”.

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Houthi attack on Saudi airport kills 12, injures hundreds

The decision comes after Riyadh’s international airport suspended operations earlier this month after 13 people were killed in an October 10 strike, with no clear timeline for when air traffic could resume.

It was the deadliest attack on the kingdom in more than a decade.

Earlier this month, diplomatic sources said the kingdom was planning to move ahead with the conference, offering on-site and virtual attendance, as well as alternative air and land travel routes.

But that plan appears to have been scrapped as Western travel warnings for the region have multiplied and the airport remains shut.

“The executives I’ve spoken to are very, very, very hesitant to travel to Riyadh for this month’s conferences,” a consultant who advises Saudi firms told Agence France-Presse.

“Companies won’t put their employees in harm’s way for the sake of an investment conference,” they said.