Man executed in Yemen for murder and rape of child – News

People and police gather at the execution site of 41-year-old Muhammad al-Maghrabi, who was executed a month ago for the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl.

A man convicted of raping and murdering a three-year-old girl was executed in front of hundreds of spectators in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, witnesses said.
A police officer fired five bullets from an assault rifle at 41-year-old Muhammad al-Maghrabi, who lay on a blanket on the ground in Sanaa’s Tahrir Square with his hands tied behind his back after a judge read out the death sentence.
Due to the young age of the victim, Rana al-Matari, the execution was attended by an unusually large number of spectators – some sat on telegraph poles, many watched from rooftops.
Security was tight, fearing a revenge attack on Maghrabi by armed tribesmen related to his victim. The police car that took Maghrabi to the square was escorted by five patrol cars.
Yahya al-Matari, the girl’s father, told reporters after the execution that he felt like a new person. “This is the first day of my life,” he said. “I am relieved now.”