MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Saturday, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced the execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy, along with 46 other people convicted of terrorism. Sheikh al-Nimr was sentenced to death on charges of inciting hatred and disobedience to the Saudi king in 2014.
"The sensational execution in Saudi Arabia has demonstrated that it is trying to create not an anti-Daesh, also known as ISIL/The Islamic State, but an anti-Shiite coalition," Pushkov said in a Twitter posting.
In late 2015, Saudi Arabia announced the establishment of a 34-nation Islamic coalition to fight terrorism in the Middle East, including IS terrorist group, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
