Some of Saudi Arabia’s executions understandable, says ex-UK ambassador

Some of Saudi Arabia’s recent executions of al-Qaida supporters were understandable, Britain’s former ambassador to the country has said, as the UK government faces fresh questions about the intimacy of its links with the Saudi regime.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir John Jenkins said: “Do I think the sentences are justified? Certainly the people accused of membership of AQ [al-Qaida], particularly given what has happened over the past 18 months with these attacks by Islamic Stateinside the kingdom, I can understand why the Saudis reacted in the way they did.”