Islamic State militants in Syria have executed a man accused of homosexuality by throwing him from the roof of a building, then stoning him to death. While it is not uncommon for Islamic courts to dictate that the penalty for homosexuality is death, it is unusual for the punishment to be photographed and the images uploaded to the internet.

A statement which was published alongside the images said that the court had ruled that the man had ‘practiced sodomy and must be thrown off the highest point’ in the area and then stoned to death – a euphemism for having large rocks thrown at him until he dies from his injuries.

Photos show the man being apprehended in a town in the Wilayet al-Furat region, where he was taken to the roof of a three storey building.

In November, IS militants were reported to have stoned two men to death in Syria, claiming they were homosexuals.