41-year-old Muhammad al-Maghrabi, who raped and killed three-year-old Rana Yahya Al-Matari in his hut on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, was executed with a machine gun at point blank range under Sharia law in Yemen.
Hundreds gathered on Main Square in the capital city of Sanaa on Monday and many filmed the execution, which was broadcast on live TV across Yemen, on their mobile phones.
Pictures show the child rapist lying on the floor on a rug, his hands tied behind his back, as a police officer holds an AK47-style rifle against his back and opens fire.
Al-Maghrabi’s hands were bound behind his back as he emerged from the prison van. He was brought to the main square in Sanaa in an armoured van before soldiers laid him on the floor to carry out the sentence.
As a crowd of thousands watched, one soldier fired shots through Maghrabi's back, killing him instantly. Maghrabi lay on the floor with his hands bound behind his back before a soldier standing over him opens fire.
Thousands of people carrying cameras gathered to watch the execution. Television cameras broadcast the sentence across the country while viewers filmed it on their phones.
Sharia law is the source of all legislation in Yemen. Under the law, murder is punishable by the death sentence, though the family of the victim has the right to lessen the punishment. While beheading is common, Sharia does not specify how the death sentence should be carried out.