Xinjiang needle attacks organized by groups, China says

Sep 16, 2009, 5:18 GMT

   Beijing - A spate of attacks with hypodermic needles in China's far-western Xinjiang region were organized by at least seven groups, state media said on Wednesday.

   The number of suspects held over the needle attacks had risen to 75 by Tuesday, including groups in the regional capital, Urumqi, and six more areas of Xinjiang, the official China Daily quoted local police as saying.

   The attacks by members of the Uighur minority were 'still haunting Urumqi residents,' especially members of the city's Han Chinese majority, said Zhang Jun, deputy director of the Urumqi public security bureau.

   Police had made arrests in 36 cases of reported needle attacks, including 16 in Urumqi and others in the Hotan, Turpan, Kashgar, Changji, Aksu and Altay areas of Xinjiang, Zhang was quoted as saying.

   The report was the first to blame the attacks on organized groups of Uighurs, although the government had previously claimed that Uighur exiles had planned the attacks.

   It said one of the groups arrested in Urumqi included eight suspects who had 'organized several secret meetings since August plotting needle attacks.'

    The group was 'aiming to stir up hatred between people from different ethic groups' and had stabbed people with sewing needles, safety pins and toothpicks, the newspaper said.

   Three Uighurs were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison on Saturday over needle attacks in Urumqi, only two weeks after their arrest, state media said.

   Since bloody ethnic riots in July which left at least 197 people dead, Urumqi has been plagued by tension between its ethnic Uighur and Han Chinese residents.

   Reports began appearing of attacks by Uighurs using needles in mid-August.

   The regional government said city hospitals had dealt with 531 victims of needle stabbings, most of them Han Chinese, with 106 people showing 'obvious signs' of needle attacks.

   The syringe attacks led to a mass protest by mainly Han Chinese, calling on the municipal and regional governments to step up security in the city.