China will continue to fully support Kyrgyzstan as it investigates the terrorist attack on the Chinese embassy there and arrests the perpetrators, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday.
Kyrgyzstan's National Security Committee has said that the suicide bomb attack in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek last week was ordered by Uyghur militants active in Syria and carried out by a member of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
Three embassy staff members suffered minor injuries in the attack and were taken to a hospital; the attacker died. China has condemned the attack and urged Kyrgyzstan authorities to quickly and thoroughly investigate the incident.
"I want to stress that the East Turkestan terrorist forces representing the (East Turkestan Islamic Movement) have planned and carried out many terrorist incidents targeting China inside and outside the country and committed bloody crimes," Hua said at a regular news conference in Beijing.
Since the attack, Chinese law enforcement departments have closely followed Kyrgyzstan's investigation process and provided necessary assistance as required, she said.
The suicide bomber, whose car rammed the gate of the embassy on Aug 30, was an ethnic Uyghur who held a Tajikistan passport under the name of Zoir Khalilov, the Kyrgyzstan security service said.
Five Kyrgyzstan citizens suspected of complicity in the bomb attack have been detained, and an international arrest warrant has been issued for two other Kyrgyzstan citizens living in Turkey, it said.
The East Turkestan Islamic Movement is a terrorist group that constitutes a serious threat to China, Syria, Central Asia and many other countries and regions, Hua said.
The group has been listed by the United Nations and the United Kingdom as a terrorist group.
"We will continue to keep in close communication with Kyrgyzstan and enhance anti-terrorism cooperation to firmly safeguard the safety of China, Kyrgyzstan and other countries in the region," Hua added.
