Ali al-Nimr: Father of man sentenced to death by Saudi authorities arrested

Mohamed al-Nimr was subsequently released, his family tweeted hours afterwards

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The father of a young man sentenced to be crucified by the government of Saudi Arabia has been arrested.

Mohamed al-Nimr, whose 20-year-old son Ali al-Nimr has been sentenced to be beheaded and crucified by Saudi authorities and whose relation Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr also faces the death penalty, was arrested on Tuesday by authorities in Awamiyah, a village in the east of the country.

His son Mohammed al-Nimr tweeted his father had been arrested and then "thankfully" released after being held by police officers for a few hours. He said his family were "all smiles" with the return of his father.

Neither man appeared to have been told why the alleged arrest was made.

The government’s decision to execute Mr al-Nimr’s son has provoked international outrage, with many human rights organisations condemning Saudi authorities.

Ali al-Nimr was arrested by authorities in 2012 and in 2014 was sentenced to the death penalty. The authroties claim the then-17-year-old fomented revolution using his Blackberry.

His family claim his relationship with his uncle Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr is the reason for his arrest.

Outspoken government critic Sheikh al-Nimr, the boy’s uncle, lost an appeal on Sunday before the Supreme Court to have his death sentence repealed.

His family claimed the decision had been upheld without lawyers representing the Sheikh or his family being present. The decision now rests with King Salman, who can issue a pardon.

The Saudi embassy told The Independent they had no information on Mr al-Nimr’s apparent arrest.