Hm, about the not fully-severing the head, that doesnt suprise me. I remember reading awhile back , that contrary to popular belief during samurai seppuku, the kaishakunin did NOT fully sever the head as a rule. The idea was to make a clean cut through but to stop, leaving a good strip of flesh. This was to make the ritual much more.. civilised I geuss you could say, seeing as how a head flying off across the room spraying blood everywhere is not pleasant. The beheading during seppuku is meant to be an act of mercy for an otherwise agonising death, NOT a display.
I'm fairly sure that for the same practical reasons, the same is done with the Saudi's, as our friend above has said he's seen in a video.
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