Chief of religious police is said to have claimed the woman, in her 60s, tricked people into believing she could treat illnesses

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Saudi authorities have executed a woman convicted of practising magic and sorcery.

The Saudi interior ministry said in a statement that the execution had taken place on Monday, but gave no details of the woman's crime.

The London-based al-Hayat daily, however, quoted Abdullah al-Mohsen, the chief of the religious police who arrested the woman, as saying she had tricked people into thinking she could treat illnesses, charging them $800 a session.

The paper said a female investigator followed up the case, and the woman was arrested in April 2009 and later convicted in a Saudi court.

It did not give the woman's name, but said she was in her 60s.

So far 76 people have been executed this year in Saudi Arabia, according to an Associated Press count. At least three have been women.