Eight sentenced to death for Xinjiang terrorist attacks

Terrorists stand trial at the Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi, Dec 8, 2014. [Photo/CCTV]

URUMQI - A Xinjiang court sentenced eight people to death on Monday in connection with two terrorist attacks in April and May in the regional capital, Urumqi.

The Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi sentenced another five to death with a two-year reprieve, and four others were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

Xinjiang saw its bloodiest day in five years on May 22 when 39 people were killed and 94 injured in an attack on a market in Urumqi. On April 30, three people were killed and 79 were injured in an attack at a railway station in the city.

Those sentenced to death include Ahmat Rixit, head of the group responsible for April's violence, and Abliz Dawut and Nurahmat Ablipiz, main plotters of the May attack.

From February 2010 to April 2014, Ahmat Rexit and his associates gathered many times to listen to and watch audio and video clips about terror under the guidance of Ismail Yusup, a member of the terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

In cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization, Chinese police are hunting Ismail Yusup who is believed to be outside China.

The May 22 attack was also influenced by videos of terrorist attacks.