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Three Uighurs given death sentences in rail station knife attack
 A Chinese court today upheld death sentences for three Uigur men involved in the gruesome knife attacks that killed 31 passengers at a railway station in Kunming city earlier this year. The attacks occurred on March 1, when a group of Uigurs went on a stabbing spree at the crowded railway station, killing 31 people and injuring more than 140 others. Iskandar Ehet, Turgun Tohtunyaz and Hasayn Muhammad were sentenced to death on September 12 for leading a terrorist organization and intentional homicide. Investigators found that the three had been training recruits for terrorist acts since December 2013, including the attack at Kunming railway station. The Kunming attack was reported to have been carried out by militants from the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). All three men as well as some female associates were arrested for planning to illegally cross the Chinese border on February 27, just days ahead of the attack. After failing to establish contact with Iskandar, five members of the group carried out their attack as originally planned on March 1. Four were gunned down by police at the scene, while a woman, Patigul Tohti, who had been shot and injured, was captured. Patigul was handed a life sentence. The court ruled that although her criminal acts were extreme, because she was pregnant at the time of her arrest, she would be given a life sentence. Posted by: ryuge 2014-11-01 |
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