Xinjiang riots: Urumqi party chief, Xinjiang police chief removed

URUMQI - In the aftermath of Xinjiang riots that erupted on July 5, the party chief of Urumqi and police chief of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been sacked.

According to a decision by the CPC Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Committee, Li Zhi, secretary of the Urumqi Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was replaced by Zhu Hailun.

Xinjiang’s police chief Liu Yaohua was also replaced by Zhu Changjie, party chief of Xinjiang’s Aksu Prefecture, Xinhua reports.

Fresh protests broke out this week after hundreds of Urumqi residents said that they were attacked by syringes. Five people were killed in the following protests.

Local hospitals had dealt with 531 victims of hypodermic syringe stabbings by Thursday, 106 of whom showed obvious signs of needle attacks.

Chinese military medical experts on Saturday ruled out the possibility that radioactive substance, anthrax and toxic chemical were used in recent syringe attacks in Urumqi City.

“According to the preliminary test results, such possibilities can be ruled out,” said Qian Jun, director of Disease Control and Biological Security Office with China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences.

Samples had been sent to Beijing for further test, he added.

Xinjiang police has captured 25 suspects amid the syringe scare. (ANI)