SAUDI Arabia executed 81 men on Saturday on charges of “allegiance to foreign terrorist organisations” and holding “deviant beliefs,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.

It is believed to be the largest mass execution in the history of the reactionary gulf kingdom.

The interior ministry said those killed, who included seven Yemenis and a Syrian national, “were convicted of various crimes including murdering innocent men, women and children.

“Crimes committed by these individuals also include pledging allegiance to foreign terrorist organisations, such as Isis, al-Qaida and the Houthis,” a statement said.

“The accused were provided with the right to an attorney and were guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process.

“The kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the entire world,” the report added.

Some 37 Saudi Arabian men were among those executed after being found guilty of plotting to kill security officials along with the targeting of police stations and convoys in a single trial.

The country’s last mass execution occurred in early January 2016, when Saudi authorities executed 47 people.

More than 900 people are reported to have been executed since 2015. In 2019 alone Saudi Arabia executed a record 184 people with human rights organisations warning that children are being sent to their deaths by the regime.

But Riyadh insists that it is protecting its national security and acting in accordance with its laws.

Despite being accused of war crimes during its eight-year bombardment of Yemen in which it has been accused of deliberately targeting schools, hospitals and residential areas, Saudi Arabia retains the political and military support of Western countries.

The US State Department recently approved the sale of $650 million (£478m) of air to air missiles to the gulf kingdom along with a helicopter maintenance deal worth some $500 million (£360m).

A UN report released last November said that at least 377,000 people have been killed since the start of the Saudi-led war in March 2015.

US President Joe Biden “offered his commitment to support Saudi Arabia in the defence of its people and territory” in a phone call to King Salman bin Abdulaziz earlier this year.

The British government’s envoy to Saudi Arabia Ken Costa dismissed concerns over the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United last year as just “noise” created by those jealous of the investment.