It was reported that Saeed bin Manea al-Harith, a convicted...

It was reported that Saeed bin Manea al-Harith, a convicted Saudi Arabian murderer, was spared execution after tribal sheikhs persuaded his victim's father to accept five million riyals ($1.33 million) in return for his life. Al-Watan newspaper said 22-year-old Harith killed Abdallah bin Jakhdab al-Kawal after an argument at work in 2002. Thousands of men from the convicted murderer's tribe besieged the Kawal family house in South Dhahran in southern Saudi Arabia to try to save him from his punishment. After several hours of talks Kawal's father, overruling the wishes of his wife, agreed to spare the killer. He originally demanded 10 million riyals compensation, along with 10 cars and 10 daggers, the paper said. Under Islamic laws, relatives of a murder victim can accept "blood money" instead of the execution of the offender.