
(Protesters holding poster of Saudi Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr protest against his execution by Saudi authorities in the village of Sanabis, west of Manama, Bahrain January 3, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed)
Saudi Arabia’s execution of four prominent Shi’ites and dozens of al Qaeda figures appears to have been based on a calculation that the kingdom could crush support for Sunni jihadists without alienating more moderate Sunnis.
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