Sudanese Man Beheaded, Crucified in Saudi for Rape, Murder

Saudi Arabia beheaded and crucified a Sudanese man in Riyadh on Friday after he was convicted of raping, robbing and killing a woman, the interior ministry announced.

Abdulrahman Zine Elabidine "broke into a house strangling its owner to death while she was asleep."

He also raped her and stole 165,000 riyals ($44,000/33,000 euros) as well as gold jewelry, said the statement carried by state news agency SPA.

He then set the house on fire.

His beheading took to 20 the total number of executions in the ultra-conservative kingdom so far this year, according to an Agence France Presse tally based on official reports.

Under the AFP count, at least 76 people were beheaded in 2011, while rights group Amnesty International put the number of executions last year at 79.

The death penalty in Saudi Arabia applies strict Sharia (Islamic) law for a wide range of offences including rape, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking, as well as murder.