China detains 380 in month-long Xinjiang terror sweep
Tuesday, 24 June 2014 00:01
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REUTERS: Authorities in China’s far-flung western region of Xinjiang have detained 380 people and busted 32 terror cells in a month-long crackdown on violence, state media said on Monday, following an upsurge in attacks blamed on Islamist militants.
China has been toughening its response after a spate of bloody incidents nationwide centred on Xinjiang, the traditional home of the Muslim Uighurs.
China has blamed previous attacks on Islamist separatists in the region, who, it says, want to establish an independent state there called East Turkestan.
The official Legal Daily said 315 people had been tried for terror-related offences, at least 13 of whom have been executed, an announcement made last week. Six police officers had died on the job as well, the report added.
Police also seized 264 explosive devices, 357 weapons, 101 computers with extremist contents on them and books and DVDs offering training at terror attacks, the newspaper said.
It gave instances of some cases, from the seizures of bows and arrows in the city of Aksu to the testing of bombs in the Gobi desert.
Authorities praised public support for the campaign, including reports about suspicious people, the paper said.
