Two terrorists get death

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-12-18  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CHINA'S Supreme People's Court said yesterday that two terrorists who took part in the August 4 attack on police in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been sentenced to death by a court in the region.

Seventeen people were killed and 15 injured in the attack in Kashgar, on August 4, four days before the Beijing Olympics, the supreme court cited the Intermediate People's Court of Kashgar as saying.

The two terrorists, both locals of Kashgar, were identified as Abdurahman Azat, 33, and Kurbanjan Hemit, 28. They were convicted of intentional homicide and illegally producing guns, ammunition and explosives.

The Kashgar court said the two conducted the terrorist attack to sabotage the Beijing Olympic Games that began on August 8.

The court said the two bought materials and made explosives, two guns and ammunition in February and March, and chose to attack Kashgar border police.

They stole a truck and drove it to the site of the attack around 6am. Two hours later, Abdurahman drove the truck toward a team of more than 70 police, who were taking morning exercise, killing 15 and injuring 13. The truck rolled over, and he detonated a bomb, killing another officer.

At the same time, Kurbanjan threw explosives at the gate of the police station and attacked officers with a knife. He killed one policeman and injured two others.

The two were caught at the site of the attack.

Police said in the first half of this year alone five terrorist groups had been cracked in Xinjiang and 82 suspected terrorists detained.