An undated file picture shows leading Iraqi Shiite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. (AFP File Photo)
The execution of prominent Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr is an "aggression", Iraq's top Shiite authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a statement today.
"We received with deep sadness and regret the news of the martyrdom of a group of our brothers in the region," he said.
"The spilling of their pure blood -- including of the late cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, may his soul rest in peace -- is an injustice and an aggression," Sistani said.