{O/C} In Saudi Arabia, 81 people were executed after they were convicted of crimes ranging from murders to being affiliated with militant groups.
This, despite the country vowing to rein in executions.
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The toll even surpassed that of a January 1980 mass execution of the 63 militants convicted of seizing the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979, which was dubbed the worst militant assault on the Kingdom and Mecca, frequented by hajj pilgrims.
The reason why the kingdom chose to execute the 81 people in a mass execution on Saturday is unclear.
The kingdom has pledged to curb executions. Though the number has dropped, the kingdom has continued to behead convicts under King Salman and his assertive son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A state-run news agency reported that those executed were involved in various crimes, including the murdering of innocent men, women and children as well as being members of terror networks.
Those executed included 73 Saudis, seven Yemenis and one Syrian. The place where they were executed remains shrouded in secrecy.
The kingdom has vowed it will continue to be unremitting in fighting terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the world.
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