The BBC reports that authorities have shot eight people who were allegedly “trying to attack police officers in Xinjiang” last Friday:
Three more were killed by their own explosive devices when they attacked a patrol near a park in the county of Wushi, Xinhua news agency said.
Officials labelled the attackers as “terrorists”, a term they often use for Muslim Uighurs involved in unrest.
[…] The authorities say the attackers were armed with explosive devices and knives, and were riding motorbikes and cars.
They did not give the ethnicity of the attackers. [Source]
Charles Hutzler at The Wall Street Journal adds that “a regional government news website reported that ‘planning for Friday’s attack began in September when the 13-member group began watching violent terrorist videos and started training.'”
Exiled Uyghur groups have blamed Chinese policies in the region for the upsurge in violence. Read more about violence in Xinjiang via CDT.
