Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir defended the execution of a prominent Shia cleric earlier this month, brushing off claims that he was a religious scholar and labeling him a terrorist.








WASHINGTON (Sputnik) � Nimr al-Nimr was among�47 convicted prisoners Riyadh had executed in�early January, prompting a violent backlash in�Iran to�which Saudi Arabia responded by�cutting diplomatic ties with�Tehran.


"Nimr al-Nimr is a terrorist, not a religious scholar," Jubeir said in�an interview with�the CNN broadcaster late Tuesday, adding that he has "recruited, justified, funded, equipped, plotted, and he engaged in�terror attacks" that killed security personnel.

Jubeir further compared Nimr to�Osama bin Laden, saying the cleric was "as much of�a religious scholar" as�the slain al-Qaeda terrorist group leader.

On January 2, demonstrators in�Iran stormed the Saudi embassy in�Tehran and the consulate in�Mashhad. Following the incident, Saudi Arabia announced it was breaking diplomatic ties and air links with�Iran.
By Sputnik