Four ‘terrorists’ possibly from Xinjiang arrested in China’s northern Shanxi province
Mainland police have arrested four “terrorists” in Shanxi province for planning attacks, state media said yesterday, carrying pictures of some of the suspects who appeared to be from Xinjiang.
China Youth Daily said posters had appeared around the provincial capital of Taiyuan, warning people to be on their guard against attacks by the four.
One of the posters, shown on the newspaper’s website, had pictures of three people with names that appeared to be Uygur, a mainly Muslim minority group that calls Xinjiang home.
The four had all been arrested, the newspaper reported, citing Shanxi police. The report said the suspects belong to a Hijra – or transgender – group.
Calls to police in Shanxi seeking comment went unanswered.
It is not clear why Shanxi would have been the target of attacks. The majority of violent incidents blamed by mainland authorities on Islamist militants happen in Xinjiang itself.
Hundreds of people have been killed in violence in Xinjiang in the past few years. The government blames the unrest on Islamist militants who want to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.
Many Uygurs chafe at pressure to take on Han Chinese customs and language, which has often been coupled with curbs on their religious and cultural practices. Beijing denies having any repressive policies.
Exiles and many rights groups say the real cause of the unrest is heavy-handed policies, including curbs on Uygur culture, and a dearth of economic opportunity.
Beijing says Uygurs have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight with militants there. Last month, the Islamic State group said it had killed a Chinese captive, prompting outrage in Beijing.
In July, the government in Liaoning province said police in Shenyang shot dead three suspected terrorists from Xinjiang, when searching for suspects related to what the authorities are calling the “June 12 Hijra case”.