CHINA: China's state media calls the car crash on Beijing's Tiananmen Square a "premeditated violent case of terrorist attack"

Record ID: 1963515

  • Title: CHINA: China's state media calls the car crash on Beijing's Tiananmen Square a "premeditated violent case of terrorist attack"
  • Date: 30th October 2013
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (OCTOBER 30, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (CCTV - NO ACCESS CHINA) CCTV EVENING NEWS LOGO (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) UNNAMED CCTV NEWSREADER, SAYING: "Reporters learned from the Beijing Public Security's news office that police had determined the incident that had occurred on October 28 was a tightly planned, organized and premeditated violent case of terrorist atta
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  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Crime,General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3L6C05O3QUCV9B5GGL3XUP55H
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Chinese police have caught five suspects after a vehicle burst into flames on Beijing's Tiananmen Square in what police are calling a "terrorist attack" in which five people were killed, state media reported on Wednesday (October 30).
    "Reporters learned from the Beijing Public Security's news office that police had determined the incident that had occurred on October 28 was a tightly planned, organized and premeditated violent case of terrorist attack. At present, in initial investigation, the relevant five people involved in the incident at large have all been arrested," an unnamed CCTV anchor announced during the evening news bulletin.
    The SUV involved in Monday's (October 28) incident was driven by Usmen Hasan, a man whose name suggested he is an ethnic Uighur, who are Muslims from the far western region of Xinjiang, CCTV cited police as saying.
    His wife and mother were also with him in the car, along with devices filled with gasoline, knives and a flag with "religious extremist content" written on it, CCTV said.
    "Beijing police have discovered that the car that crashed was a jeep bearing a Xinjiang car plate. Police found there was gasoline, a gasoline container, two machetes and iron rods inside the car. They also found flags bearing extremist religious content on them inside the car. After the further investigation, police found that at around 12 pm (0400 GMT) on October 28, three people-- Usmen Hasan, his mother, Kuwanhan Reyimu (Mandarin translation of Uighur name) and his wife, Gulikeze Aini- (Mandarin translation of Uighur name) -drove the jeep and crashed it into Chang'an Avenue sidewalk, hitting the guard-rail at a high speed, intentionally crashing into a crowd which caused the deaths of two people and 40 injured. The suspects drove the car and crashed into the (Forbidden City's) railing on the Golden Water Bridge and set fire to petrol which caused the car to catch fire. The three people inside the car, including Wusiman Aishan died on site," the news anchor said.
    CCTV did not provide the names in Uighur.
    Five people connected with the incident had been arrested in connection with help from the Xinjiang government, the police added, all of whom also have names that suggest they are Uighur.
    Police have seized jihadist flags and knives from where they were staying, police added.
    Two tourists were also killed in Monday's incident and at least 38 people were injured.
    Xinjiang is home to the Turkic-speaking Uighurs, many of whom chaff at China's controls on their religion and culture, with violent clashes erupting there in the past.
    The government blames Uighur militants for provoking violence in Xinjiang, which borders the Central Asian states of the former Soviet Union as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
    But many rights groups and exiles say China exaggerates the threat to justify its harsh rule.
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