Saudi bomb suspects face execution

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Three Westerners who were shown on Saudi Arabian television confessing to a fatal bombing could face execution if convicted.

Two car bombs exploded in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in November killing one Briton and injuring several other people.

While it was unclear if or when the three -- a Briton, a Canadian and a Belgian -- would be tried, Saudi interior minister Prince Nayef said the country's Islamic sharia legal system would be applied to them.

"Do we have anything other than sharia? We don't have a judicial system other than sharia," Prince Nayef, told al-Riyadh newspaper in an interview published on Monday.

Sharia law dictates the execution, mostly by public beheading, of convicted murderers, rapists and drug smugglers.

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Human rights groups have criticised the country's judicial system, but Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said its laws are fair and allow suspects all their rights.

Asked if Riyadh could come under pressure in the case, Prince Nayef said: "We will never accept anything like this."

He would not say if or when the three would be tried, adding that the process would start when the police investigation was completed.

Prince Nayef said on television that investigators knew who "the source" for the explosives was but that he could not give more details while the inquiry was continuing.

The three men, who were shown on Saudi television separately sitting behind a desk, appeared nervous as they told of their roles in the car bombings.

A man who identified himself as Alexander Mitchell, a Briton, said he and the Canadian man, named as William Sampson, carried out the bombing which killed Christopher Rodway and injured his wife on November 17 in Riyadh.

"I confirm and confess that I received orders to carry out the bombing here in Riyadh on November 17 against Christopher Rodway, a British citizen," he said. "William Sampson, a Canadian, helped me carry out the bombing."

Mitchell said he was involved together with Sampson and the Belgian man, whose name was unclear in the Arabic translation, in the second car bombing on November 22 which injured three Britons and an Irish woman.

The other two men also spoke of their involvement, but did not say who ordered the bombings.

The Belgian said he was only involved in the second bombing after he overheard Mitchell and Sampson discuss the first blast.

The men described how they planted the explosives in the two cars and used remote control devices to detonate them.

Both Mitchell and the Belgian said they worked at Saudi military hospitals. Sampson said he worked as a marketing consultant at the Saudi Industrial Development Fund.

British officials said they were urgently seeking confirmation of the latest developments and that the British embassy was not advised that Mitchell would appear on television or that he would make a confession.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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November 24, 2000

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