40 rioters dead in Luntai county violence in Xinjiang

Forty rioters died in a series of explosions in Luntai County of northwest China's Xinjiang on Sunday, and six civilians, two police officers and two auxiliary policemen were killed, local media reported Thursday.

Another two rioters were captured by the police, according to the official Tianshan website.

The explosions occurred at a shop, an open market and two police stations at around 5 p.m. Sunday, the website said, adding 54 civilians including 32 ethnic Uygurs, were injured.

Xinjiang police said it was an "organized and serious" terrorist attack.

Previously, local media reported that the blasts killed two people.

According to police investigation, the main suspect, Mamat Tursun, who was shot dead, had been operating as an extremist since 2003.

He refused eating meals at home with his parents and refused to attend his father's funeral because of his parents' occupation as civil servants. He even declined to join his younger brother's wedding ceremony because his brother's marriage certificate was issued by the government.

Mamat Tursun called on other people to join his terrorist group when working on construction projects.