Saudi Arabian authorities will apply Islamic sharia law to three Westerners shown on television apparently confessing to a bombing that killed one man and injured several others - including an Irishwoman - last November.
Sharia law dictates the execution, usually by public beheading, of murderers, rapists and drug-smugglers.
Saudi television showed a Briton, a Canadian and a Belgian confessing to staging the attacks in the capital Riyadh.
"We don't have a judicial system other than sharia," the interior minister, Prince Nayef, told the al-Riyadhnewspaper in an interview.
The prince did not say whether or when the three would be tried but said the process would start when investigations were over.
Both Britain and Belgium said its diplomats, who were given no prior warning of the televised confessions, were seeking an urgent meeting with Saudi officials.
"We are seeking confirmation. As far as we know there's still no formal accusation," a Belgian spokesman said.
A Canadian government official said they had already made it clear to Saudi Arabia that it expects Mr William Sampson - the detained Canadian - to be dealt with in a "civilised" manner.
Briton Mr Alexander Mitchell said he and Mr Sampson carried out the bombing that killed Mr Christopher Rodway and injured his wife on November 17th.
Mr Mitchell said he was involved, with Mr Sampson and the Belgian, in the second bombing on November 22, which injured three Britons and an Irish woman.
The men said they had received orders to carry out the bombings but did not say who gave the orders or why. Prince Nayef said local authorities knew the source of the explosives but could not give more details at this time.
Mr Rodway's father in London said his son's killers should die. He voiced confidence in the Saudi legal system but said he was unsure about the validity of the confessions.
Some Saudi papers have said the bombings were related to illegal activities, including trading in alcohol, which is banned in the conservative Muslim kingdom.
Reuters