FACT-CHECK: Did Saudi Arabia execute a couple for merely kissing in Makkah mosque?
By The DEFENDER
Saudi authorities did not publicly specify the exact act that led to their convictions. The claim that they were executed simply for exchanging a kiss has not been independently established. Reports have also disputed whether the two were married.
The claim is misleading and has not been verified: Saudi Arabia reportedly executed two Bangladeshi nationals, but there is no confirmed evidence that they were beheaded specifically for kissing.
As of October 20, 2026, reports have emerged about two Bangladeshi nationals who were executed in Saudi Arabia’s Makkah region on October 14. However, important details circulating on social media remain unconfirmed.
What actually happened?
1. Saudi Arabia reportedly executed two Bangladeshi nationals.
According to reports in multiple outlets, the individuals were identified as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and a woman identified in different reports as Siti or Sweety Akhtar. Saudi authorities said they had been convicted of committing an indecent act inside a mosque in Makkah.
A video circulating online as footage of the couple’s execution is also misleading. Fact-checkers traced it to a separate execution in Saudi Arabia in 2015 involving a Myanmar woman convicted of murdering her stepdaughter. It does not show the two Bangladeshi nationals.
2. Were they executed for kissing?
This is the crucial point.
Claims circulating online allege that the man kissed the woman’s forehead inside a mosque. Some versions claim they were newlyweds visiting Saudi Arabia for their honeymoon.
However, Saudi authorities did not publicly specify the exact act that led to their convictions. The claim that they were executed simply for exchanging a kiss has not been independently established. Reports have also disputed whether the two were married.
3. Were they beheaded?
The method of execution has not been confirmed by the official statement cited in the reports.
A video circulating online as footage of the couple’s execution is also misleading. Fact-checkers traced it to a separate execution in Saudi Arabia in 2015 involving a Myanmar woman convicted of murdering her stepdaughter. It does not show the two Bangladeshi nationals.
4. What has Bangladesh said?
Reports indicate that Bangladesh expressed concern because its authorities said they had not been notified before the executions. The country subsequently sought clarification from Saudi Arabia.
Final verdict
| Claim | What the available evidence shows |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals. | Reported by multiple news outlets. |
| They were executed for kissing. | Unverified. |
| They were a newlywed couple on honeymoon. | Not established; their marital relationship has been disputed. |
| They were beheaded. | The method has not been confirmed in the official account cited by the reports. |
| The viral execution video shows them. | False. Fact-checkers traced it to a different 2015 case. |
Bottom line: There is credible reporting that Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals following convictions over an alleged indecent act in a mosque. However, the sensational claim that a couple were beheaded merely for kissing is not supported by the verified information currently available.
Conclusion: “Non-Muslim social media users in Nigeria should not spread or help spread information which source is unknown about Islam, seat of Islamic World – Makkah – doing so for whatever reason. It not only makes such fake news useless but only paints them as black dot in the middle of big white. Hate against Islam should not extend to spreading untruths against the God-own designed universal religion,” The DEFENDER was told to tell its readers globally.
