Saudi Arabia has executed a Bangladeshi man and a woman convicted over an act inside a mosque in Mecca — described in reports as a sexual act, and in the kingdom's own words as an "immoral act" that violated the sanctity of the mosque. The Interior Ministry confirmed the executions of Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar on October 14, 2026, in the Makkah region, in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. A court convicted both under ta'zir, the discretionary punishment under Islamic law, and the verdict was upheld on review before a royal order authorised the sentences to be carried out.
The death sentences were imposed because of the seriousness of the offence and the violation of the sanctity of the mosque — Saudi Interior Ministry, via the Saudi Press Agency
According to the ministry, security authorities arrested the pair after the act inside a mosque in the holy city, investigated, and referred them to court, which found the charges proven. The statement did not specify the precise conduct, name the mosque, or say when the incident happened or when the two were arrested — the description of the act as sexual comes from reports and social media accounts of the case, not from the ministry's own wording. The ministry said the sentences reflected the gravity of the offence and the violation of the sanctity of the place, reaffirmed the government's commitment to enforcing Islamic law and protecting the sanctity of mosques, and warned that similar offences would carry legal consequences.
Bangladesh was not told in advance. The Bangladeshi Consulate General in Jeddah said Saudi authorities had not notified the mission before the executions were carried out, and that it has sent a diplomatic note to the Saudi foreign ministry seeking formal acknowledgment and more details. The Daily Star reported the pair had appeared on a prisoner list Saudi Arabia shared with the consulate — a list that did not indicate they had been sentenced to death. Nothing in the published Saudi statement includes the pair's account of events, details of their legal representation, or the evidence the court relied on.
On Monday, Bangladesh's Expatriates' Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury told journalists at Dhaka's airport that one of the two was a migrant worker from Bogura and the other had travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, from Cumilla — and that their bodies would be brought back to Bangladesh once conditions allow.
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