Urumqi police tell residents to beware of syringe attacks

Xinjiang police have sent a text message to Urumqi residents warning them to watch out for syringe attacks.

The message was sent out several days ago in response to incidents that have emerged in the past week involving harmful injections, said two police officers who answered telephone inquiries.

The city's residents are still recovering from the mainland's worst ethnic violence in recent years in July, and the message struck home, with many residents staying off the streets.

Businessmen from other parts of the country scrambled to leave the city, where they were due to take part in the Urumqi Fair, being staged from Tuesday to Saturday.

Police refused to say with what the needles were contaminated and whether there had been any casualties. But rumours have spread that the syringes could be infected with HIV or anthrax, and that many people had been admitted to hospital.

Several Urumqi residents who received the message, sent via the city's propaganda department, said officials had called on people to take precautions against assaults while walking in the streets.

The message said the police department had recently solved a case of assault involving injections. A policewoman said the message was sent out as a precautionary measure and there was no need to panic.