Xinhua News Agency in Chinese is reporting a series of early morning “terrorist” attacks on markets, bars, and government targets today in Kuche county, in China’s far-western region of Xinjiang. A security guard died in the attacks. A second security guard, two paramilitary police, and two civilians were injured, and many buildings were damaged, according to the latest Xinhua report at 10:19 pm Beijing time. Eight terrorists were killed by police, two were arrested, and two were killed by their own explosives, the official news agency says. Three more are on the loose.
Xinhua broke the news earlier today, citing government sources in Xinjiang. Most other news outlets reprinted its brief report about the 2:30 a.m. attack. It said that “lawless elements took a taxi to the public security bureau and the industrial management office and threw homemade explosives, destroying two police cars.”
The financial news magazine Caijing appeared to beat Xinhua to the scene. Its report included an interview with a witness who heard several explosions coming from the courtyard of People’s Bank, followed by the gunfire of police chasing the attackers. It also reported the detail that the attackers had brought their homemade explosives in a three-wheeled car.
It added that in the city of Aksu 250 kilometers away, police were on a state of high alert, using loudspeakers at 5 a.m. to warn pedestrians and taxis to stay inside.