Jihad attacker confesses on TV

Interview reveals vulnerability to extremism: expert

The public apology made by a young "jihad" assailant at the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region revealed some major weaknesses among some Xinjiang youth that renders them vulnerable to extremism, anti-terror experts said.

Murzahti, 19, apologized for the axe attack he conducted with two other accomplices in an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday.

He is the only surviving member of the gang who randomly attacked civilians in a chess room on June 14 in Hotan. His peer Abdughappar and the ringleader Abduzahir died from serious injuries after civilians fought back.

The three kept slashing people but were eventually subdued by police and people at the scene. Four civilians were wounded during the fight.

In his confession, Murzahti said he was persuaded by Abduzahir to participate in a "jihad" or "holy war." He claimed he was made to believe extremist ideas that those who die for jihad can be guaranteed the access to heaven and be exempt from judgment after death.

"I just listened to him and hacked people no matter who they were," Murzahti said.

Murzahti said that the group surveyed the premises from the outside for about 90 seconds before staging the attack. "I was scared when people fought back. I didn't expect them to."

"I apologize for my behavior," he said.

The assailants may have been exposed to terrorist videos and related online information before they launched the attack, Liu Keqin, deputy director of the Xinjiang Politics and Law Committee, told the Global Times.

Murzahti was apparently not familiar with Islamic learning, including the history of Islam, the meaning of "jihad," and the five primary obligations of a Muslim, when questioned by the CCTV reporter.

This reveals three major kinds of illiteracy most of the junior level terrorists have, especially younger ones, Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

"They have received little education, have insufficient legal knowledge, and know little about the religion," noted Li, "These attributes make them vulnerable to extremist ideologies."

Li also believes that the brains behind the attack was the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an UN-listed terrorist group and a separatist group founded by Uyghur militants aiming to establish an independent Islamic state in Xinjiang.

ETIM often claims responsibility for terror incidents in Xinjiang. It also claimed responsibility of the Tiananmen Square attack in October last year.

Beijing has vowed a year-long national crackdown on terrorism in late May following a series of terrorist attacks.

On Saturday in Yecheng county, Kashi Perfecture, 13 attackers were shot dead by police after they drove into a police building and set off an explosion. Three police officers were slightly injured, according to the local authorities.