Attacked police kill suspect in Aksu

Police in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Thursday shot dead one assailant and captured another after the suspects attacked the police with knives and threw explosives at patrol cars.

According to a police statement, the attack occurred at around 1:20 pm when police were checking a suspect vehicle upon a tip-off from local residents.

The suspects were said to have launched a surprise knife attack on police officers while hurling explosive devices at patrol cars. The police immediately fought back, shooting one dead and capturing another.

One auxiliary police officer was severely injured, said the statement.

"A lot of police cars gathered near the intersection of the East Street and the North Street at Dashizi, where the attack took place, and an ambulance was parked there, too," a witness told the Global Times, adding that the confrontation between the assailants and the police made quite some noise.

Dashizi is one of the most prosperous areas in the city of Aksu, where many shops are located. The Aksu government is also located within 300 meters of the intersection.

It was not known whether the assailants were planning an attack on the government before their operation was busted. Police in Aksu declined to comment when reached by the Global Times.

Several witnesses told the Global Times that the police cordoned off the street after the attack and ordered nearby shops and restaurants to temporarily close down.

"I hid under the bar after I learned about the accident," a nearby restaurant employee told the Global Times.

Terrorist attacks have become an increasing concern in Xinjiang. On April 30, two ethnic Uyghur men stabbed passengers and set off bombs at the exit of Urumqi South Railway Station, killing themselves and a civilian, and injuring 79.

One of the attackers, Sedirdin Sawut, 39, was said to come from Xayar county, Aksu prefecture in southern Xinjiang.

"Muslims in southern Xinjiang, especially Hotan and Aksu, are more conservative and are more prone to the influence of religious extremism," an expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times.

In Kashi, another city in southern Xinjiang, local courts recently held a public hearing on the release of a verdict for a terrorist case, the Xinjiang Daily reported on Thursday. More than 300 people were reported to have attended the hearing.

According to the newspaper, five suspects were guilty of charges of secession and jeopardizing the State security.

They were said to have bought SD cards with videos of Jihad from a local secondhand mobile phone market and spread thoughts of religious extremism. The newspaper said the SD cards contain speeches from Hasan Mahsum, the leader of East Turkestan Islamic Movement. Hasan was shot dead in October 2003 in Pakistan. The suspects also set up underground sites to spread religious extremism to children and teenagers.

They were sentenced to jail terms from seven to 15 years.