China captures three for Kunming 'terror' attack

In a major breakthrough in China's worst terrorist attack at the Kunming railway station, police today captured three militants from the restive Xinjiang province who fled the scene of slashing rampage that killed 33 people and injured 143 others.
"The terrorist gang of eight members led by Abdurehim Kurban was responsible for the attack," Ministry of Public Security said in a statement after three militants were captured following a massive manhunt.
Police had shot and killed four assailants during the mass knife-attack in Kunming, the capital of southwestern Yunnan province, on Saturday night. They had also captured an injured woman suspect.

The woman suspect reportedly gave away the details of the entire gang, which hailed from northwestern Xinjiang province, where the local native Muslim Uyghurs were tensed with increasing settlements of majority Han Chinese from mainland China.
Two women were reportedly involved in the stabbing spree during which they hacked people indiscriminately with knives and daggers at the crowded railway station for about 25 minutes.
Thirty three people, including four militants, were killed and 143 injured in China's worst terrorist attack which Beijing alleged was carried out by the al-Qaeda-linked East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), fighting for the independence of Xinjiang.

China has described the attack as an act of terror, while state media dubbed it as "China's 9/11".

Mourning the dead in the attack which shocked the nation, China said the international community should speak in one voice against the menace of terrorism.
"The bloody facts are in front of all of us. All the justice upholders around the world have conscience," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a media briefing.
He was replying to questions on criticism in China against the US for not terming the last Saturday's gruesome attacks as a terrorist act.
"We believe in dealing with violent terrorists acts like this international community should speak in one voice and hold joint action, because the terrorists are common enemy of all mankind," Qin said.

Noting that preliminary investigations into the attack pointed towards the involvement of ETIM, Qin said: "I want to stress that for the violent terrorist forces, no matter which group was involved, the Chinese government will severely crackdown on it in accordance with law."
Qin told reporters that "some East Turkestan flags were found on the scene".