Malki, 24, condemned to beheading for the murder of Thamer Al-Mutairi eight years ago, was Thursday saved from the sword at the last minute as the father of the victim granted him a pardon for the “sake of gaining Allah's reward.” The pardon came as the executioner had already taken out the sword from the scabbard in an open area of Al-Juffali Mosque in downtown Jeddah. As Al-Malki knelt down waiting for the sword to come down on his neck, his relatives and tribal sheikhs continued to cajole the victim's father who finally caved in and granted the pardon.
