Mid East Shiites condemn Saudi execution of Sheikh Nimr

Tehran has warned that the execution of the prominent Saudi Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, among 47 others put to death on New Year’s Day, would “cost Saudi Arabia dearly.”  The men executed were said to have been involved in a series of Al Qaeda attacks from 2003-2006, and included also a number of Shiites who were detained in violent protests against the Saudi government in the Eastern Provinces. Several Shiite leaders in Iran, Yemen and Lebanon warn the Saudi royal family to expect repercussions at home and across the region. In Bahrain, police fired teargas to break up the first protest.