Two Egyptians,Saudi beheaded

Mohammed has repeatedly raped her throughout this period and the pair were planning to smuggle her out of the country, it said.

They had also neglected the health of their children and committed violence against them,leading to the death of two of Mohammed8217;s sons, it added.

The two Egyptians were beheaded in Medina.

In a separate statement,the ministry announced the beheading of Ali bin Mohammed al-Qahtani who shot dead a fellow Saudi,SPA reported. The man was executed in the

kingdom8217;s southeastern region of Asir.

Today8217;s beheadings bring to 38 the number of people executed in Saudi Arabia so far this year,according to an AFP 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 to a wide range of offences including rape,apostasy,armed robbery and drug trafficking,as well as murder,as stipulated by Islamic sharia law.