For more, see Daily Special(s): Fight against riots in Xinjiang


Surveillance video showing rioters with machetes attacking a local police station on June 26 in Shanshan county of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was released Saturday.

Reports stated that 24 people, of which 16 were ethnic Uyghurs and eight were Han, were killed. The attacks also left 21 others injured.

The video shows the rioters, wearing jeans and sneakers and holding machetes, assaulted the police station in Lukqun township around 5:50 am.

China Central Television quoted police as saying that one week before the attack, those 17 rioters indoctrinated themselves with terrorist videos, purchased tools and familiarized themselves with the environment surrounding the targets.

Yiblayan Eli, 31, the last attacker to remain at large, was captured on June 30. He attacked the police station and the special patrol squadron with a 50-centimeter-long machete. "We didn't differentiate between people, whether they were police, Uyghur, Han, or women," Yiblayan told CCTV.

Driven by religious extremism, Yiblayan believed he could gain access to heaven through violence and slaughter.

"It is a place that doesn't exist in reality. There are houris, and you can get anything you want. For example, drinking is prohibited in this earthly world, but you won't get drunk in heaven. The sweat after drinking is especially fragrant, like perfume," said Yiblayan.

"I want to live a happy life with my parents and be a good citizen. I wish I could be given a chance for rebirth," Yiblayan said.

Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said recent attacks highly resemble terrorist attacks elsewhere, as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement has been spreading the idea of "jihad."

"The rioters were stirring up the region," said Pan Zhiping, a researcher with the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.

During a recent inspection of the Xinjiang armed forces, Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged them to tighten security in crucial areas, intensify patrols, and keep a tight alert to cope with emergencies.

The region just had the fourth anniversary of the deadly riots in the regional capital Urumqi on July 5, 2009, when 192 people were killed and about 1,700 were injured.

Although recent riots have cast a shadow over people's lives, the congregational Jumah prayer, which falls every Friday, was held in a peaceful and orderly manner on July 5 in the Heytgah Mosque in Kashi, the largest mosque in the region, attracting more than 10,000 Muslims.