Masterminded Terror Atttacks

Police investigations suggest that the multiple attacks in Shanshan on June 26 was a premeditated and organized violent terrorist crime.

Before the violent attack, rioters had internalized religious extremism spread by foreigners, carried out secretive and illegal religious activities, watched terrorist video footage, purchased criminal tools and familiarized themselves with the environment surrounding the targets, according to police investigations.

The way the attacks were carried out and the horror the perpetrators inflicted on the public was similar to the terrorist attacks in other countries, as the perpetrators were deluded by overseas terrorist organizations who incited them to action and scouted the targets multiple times ahead of the attack.

Police have learned that a group of people headed by Ahmatniyaz Sidiq and Eli Ahmatniyaz, both from Lukqun Township, began to illegally gather and watch terrorist video footage and listen to audio programs from the terrorist group East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) that spread so-called "jihad" principles.

After becoming religious extremists, they actively recruited members for a 17-member group to carry out illegal religious activities. Meanwhile, they mulled terrorist attacks and conspired to go abroad to participate in the "jihad," according to police.

Before the attack, two extremists from Kuqa County in southern Xinjiang mobilized the group to carry out a "jihad." As they considered it would be too difficult to go abroad, they instead planned to stage the violent attacks locally.

The evidence shows that, in plotting the attack, Eli Ahmatniyaz and some other members said clearly on June 20 that they wanted to "start a 'jihad' and do something big."

They set the town's police station and the special patrol squadron as their initial attack targets, then they would attack local government buildings and residents.

They raised funds and purchased 26 long knives, 21 daggers and 310 liters of gasoline. They also made 28 petrol bombs.

Police evidence shows that before the incident, some members of the gang conducted several scouting missions around the township government building, the police station and nearby places under the instigation of Eli Ahmatniyaz.

On June 26, the rioters staged the mobile attack, driving the motorized tricycle and the hijacked Santana car.

"I have seen that man before, as he often showed up on the street recently. I never thought that he was plotting such evil deeds," said a witness who had recognized the driver of the motorized tricycle. The witness preferred not to be name over fears of terrorists taking revenge.

The attacks unfolded in a way that many local people did not even think of.

Around 1:00 a.m. on that day, 16 rioters gathered for a religious ritual and they rushed to a gas station in three motorized tricycles and forced staff there to fill their cans with gas around 3:00 a.m.

Around 5:50 a.m., the rioters assaulted the police station in Lukqun and the township government building, axing officers, burning buildings and crashing cars.

While carrying out the attacks, the terrorists tried to kill everybody they saw along their way, attacking a beauty salon and a construction site, killing and injuring innocent people, including ethnic Uygurs.

The local government and police immediately launched counter-attacks. They killed 11 rioters and arrested four others. Many knives and gas cans used by the terrorists were confiscated.

"The attacks were well planned. The rioters wanted to get rid of law enforcement officers first and then attack the government and the civilians," said a wounded Uygur policeman, Askar, who gunned down several rioters.