BBC says Saudi Arabia executed cameraman’s killer

Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran early on Sunday morning as Shi’ite Muslim Iran reacted with fury to Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric.

Iran’s Supreme Leader says Saudi Arabia will face “divine revenge” after the execution of a revered Shiite cleric.

– Saudi Arabia accused some Shi’ites in its Eastern Province, including Nimr, of cooperating with a foreign state – meaning Iran – to sow dissension, after clashes between police and Shi’ites.

The row began Saturday, when Saudi Arabia executed al-Nemer among 47 people sentenced to death.

The sheikh’s brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, told The Associated Press that Saudi officials informed his family that the cleric had been buried in an undisclosed cemetery, a development that could lead to further protests.

“The execution of the martyr (Nimr) isn’t just a declaration of war against the People of the House (Shiites) but against all Muslims”, he said in a statement.

Also in Iran, demonstrators attacked a Saudi consulate in the city of Mashhad with parts of the building set on fire, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported, citing Persian-media outlet Tabnak.

Strong rhetoric from Tehran was matched by others across the region, with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, describing the execution as “a message of blood” and Moqtada Al Sadr, an Iraqi cleric, called for angry protests.

A photo montage also posted on Khamenei’s website showed a split image of an Islamic State fighter preparing to carry out a beheading and a Saudi executioner.

In Beirut, Shia shopkeeper Abu Ali Dimashq said he hoped Nimr’s death would prove “a victory against the Al Saud family, because this is the beginning of their end, God willing”.

“By defending the acts of terrorists … the Iranian regime is considered a partner in their crimes and is held completely responsible for its policies of incitement and escalation”.

The Saudi statement also pointed out that Iran also is frequently criticized by the worldwide community for carrying out large numbers of executions.

The cleric’s execution has also threatened to complicate Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the Shiite-led government in Iraq, where the Saudi Embassy is preparing to formally reopen for the first time in almost 25 years.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are locked in a bitter rivalry, and support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. He was critical of the Saudi government and but denied ever advocating violence. A Saudi diplomat, Mousa’ad al-Ghamdi, died in Tehran of wounds sustained when he fell out of an embassy window and Riyadh accused Tehran of delaying his transfer to a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Nimr was a central figure in protests by Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012.

“The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country”, a Foreign Office statement said, noting that Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond “regularly raises human rights issues with his counterparts in countries of concern, including Saudi Arabia“.

Mogherini said she and Zarif had agreed that no effort should be spared by all parties to keep the situation under control and to prevent sectarian tensions from escalating.