Saudi Arabia executes two Bangladesh citizens over alleged 'forehead kiss' in a mosque in Mecca

• Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals after convicting them of an “immoral act” inside a mosque in Mecca.

• Reports circulating online claim the incident involved a forehead kiss, but Saudi authorities have not publicly specified the act.

• Bangladesh is awaiting a response from Saudi authorities before sharing further details.

Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals after a court convicted them of committing what authorities described as an “immoral act” inside a mosque in Mecca.

The two were identified as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar, according to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) and reported by Gulf News.

The ministry said security authorities arrested the pair following the incident. After an investigation, they were charged and referred to a competent court, which sentenced them to death under ta’zir, a form of discretionary punishment under Islamic law.

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According to the ministry, the court cited the seriousness of the offence and the violation of the sanctity of the mosque. The ruling was upheld by the relevant judicial authority, and a royal order was issued authorising the executions.

The executions were carried out in the Mecca region on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

While Saudi authorities have not publicly specified the precise nature of the act in the statement cited by Gulf News, claims circulating on social media have alleged that the incident involved the man kissing the woman on the forehead.

Some accounts further claim that the pair were newlyweds who had travelled to Mecca for their honeymoon. These details have not been established by the official statement.

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The Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah told The Daily Star that it had not been notified of the executions in the holy city of Mecca beforehand and had submitted a diplomatic note to Saudi authorities seeking formal acknowledgement of the matter.

Bangladesh said it would await a response from the Saudi government before releasing further details. Shama Obaed added that arrangements to repatriate the bodies could be made after Dhaka receives a reply to its letter. 

The Saudi Interior Ministry reaffirmed the kingdom’s commitment to enforcing its laws and warned that similar offences would attract legal consequences.