The man found guilty of starting fire at Al-Haer prison near Riyadh on Sept. 15, 2003 was beheaded on Friday. Saad Bin Fahaid Bin Mubark Al-Sebai, a Saudi, was put to the sword after the Higher Judiciary Council upheld the death penalty awarded to him by the General Court in Riyadh, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. Al-Sebai was held in the prison at that time. The fire killed 69 people and 21 others suffered from smoke inhalation. Some bodies were burnt beyond recognition. It took firefighters about three hours to bring the fire under control. Initially, the cause appeared to be an electrical short-circuit at the prison 12 miles south of Riyadh. The prison housed 3,500 inmates then. In April 2004, the head of Riyadh prisons was removed and several other officials were suspended for dereliction of duty. A Ministry of Interior statement on Friday said the death verdict was passed after Al-Sebai admitted his complicity in starting the fire. An earlier statement from the ministry said an inquiry committee has established that the fire was deliberately started by Al-Sebai who set a blanket ablaze as prisoners were assembling for noon prayers. __
