18 suspects in Shache terrorism attack surrender themselves to police

Eighteen suspects involved in last month's fatal terrorist attack in Shache county, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, had surrendered to police by Saturday afternoon after a campaign encouraging the public to expose them, the regional government said on Sunday.

The attack on July 28 in the southern Xinjiang county left 37 civilians dead and another 13 injured. A gang armed with knives and axes attacked a police station and government offices in Elixku township, and some moved onto Huangdi township, attacking civilians and smashing vehicles as they passed.

The thugs also brutally murdered Ubulajan Tuohot, head of Dunbak township, and Abdu'ani Turdi, a local disciplinary official, after they refused to shout jihadist slogans and join the terrorists and condemned their violence.

Police shot dead 59 of the attackers and arrested 215 others, confiscating banners proclaiming jihad.

The Shache county government put out an announcement on August 1, calling for public tip-offs about the suspects' whereabouts and vowing to protect and reward the whistle-blowers.

It also launched a massive campaign to conduct door-to-door education on anti-terrorism and 16 trucks have been patrolling the streets, said Chang Zhenping, a publicity official of the county.

Few of the surrendered suspects were diehard terrorists; many of them were cheated or coerced into joining the terrorist attack, said Abdulkeyum Abdukhadir, an official from the Shache public security bureau.

"I was doing worship at the mosque while a group of people broke in, yelling 'jihad.' I just rushed back home, grabbed a spade and joined them, without thinking much," said Yusup Eli, a suspect who turned himself in. Osman Seyit, another suspect, said he joined the attack after being threatened and had been hiding in the Gobi Desert. "My mom did not know that I did this yet. I hope others do not follow the gangsters," he said.

If found guilty, the suspects who turned themselves in will get a lighter sentence.