Saudi authorities behead man for child molestation

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry says authorities have beheaded a Saudi man convicted of molesting a child and leaving him in the desert to die.

According to a ministry statement, Falih bin Miflih was beheaded in Unayzah town in al-Qasim province.

Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery can be executed - usually with a sword.

According to an Associated Press count, the execution brought the number of beheadings in the kingdom this year to 42. Last year, 102 people were beheaded.