Grand Mosque Seizure - Aftermath

Aftermath

In Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini told radio listeners, "It is not beyond guessing that this is the work of criminal American imperialism and international Zionism."

Muslim anti-American demonstrations followed in the Philippines, Turkey, Bangladesh, eastern Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. Anger fueled by these rumors peaked within hours in Islamabad, Pakistan, and on 21 November 1979, the day following the takeover, the U.S. embassy in that city was overrun by a mob, who then burned the embassy to the ground. A week later, this anger swept to the streets of Tripoli, Libya, where a mob attacked and burned the U.S. embassy there on 2 December 1979.

The rebels' leader, Juhayman, was captured, and he and 67 of his fellow rebels – "all the surviving males" – were tried secretly, convicted and publicly beheaded in the squares of four Saudi cities. In fact, 63 rebels were executed on 9 January 1980 in eight cities. The executions were decreed by King Khalid after the edict issued by ulemas.