A Saudi Arabian man who planned to study at Western Michigan University was beheaded by the Saudi government on Tuesday, the Detroit Free Press reported, citing a report from the Saudi Press Agency.

Mujtaba al-Sweikat was reportedly arrested in December 2012 at the King Fahd International Airport while en route to the U.S. Al-Sweikat, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, was interested in attending Western Michigan, where he had received an offer of admission.

Al-Sweikat was reportedly arrested on charges related to attending a pro-democracy protest during the Arab Spring in 2011. He was charged with numerous offenses including armed disobedience against the king and attacking, shooting and injuring security forces and civilians. The international human rights group Reprieve said he was severely beaten and convicted on the basis of a confession extracted under torture.