Saudi beheaded for murder

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have beheaded a Saudi citizen convicted of killing a fellow national after a dispute.

An Interior Ministry statement says Jassim al-Bahrani was executed Sunday in the eastern region of Ihsaa. He was convicted for killing his Abdul-Aziz al-Fozan in an argument over money.

Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery can be executed. The executions take place usually with a sword.

According to an Associated Press count, the execution brings to 91 the number of people beheaded this year in the kingdom. Last year, 137 people were beheaded - an increase from 38 in 2006.