Two teenagers sentenced to death in brutal assassination of imam
Third man gets life in prison as part of terror group that hacked Jume Tahir to death outside Id Kah Mosque
Two teenagers have been sentenced to death and a third man was given life imprisonment for their roles in the brutal assassination of a high-profile pro-Beijing imam in Kashgar.
Gheni Hasan, 18, and Nurmemet Abidilimit, 19, face execution on charges of forming and leading terrorist groups and murder. Atawulla Tursun was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of taking part in terrorist groups and murder, state-own Xinhua News Agency said, citing the verdict of Kashgar Intermediate People’s Court.
The court in Xinjiang said that the three men, who had been influenced by radical religious beliefs after watching and listening to audio clips and videos on terrorism, carried out illegal religious activities and organised a terrorist group which was led by Hasan, Xinhua said.
They took part in terrorist training and killed Jume Tahir, 74, chief imam of the Id Kah Mosque and a former National People’s Congress delegate and former vice-president of the Islamic Association of China.
Police shot two men to death in the search following the assassination and detained Abidilimit, Xinhua said. Two days later Hasan was captured in Hotan, Xinhua reports.
The murder of Tahir came two days after armed men attacked police and government offices in Yarkand county, or Shache, near Kashgar, triggering clashes on July 28, the end of Ramadan. At least 37 civilians were killed and police shot dead 59 terrorists and detained 215 others.