County under highest alert after violence authorities have called an act of terrorism
Armed police in bulletproof proof vests are on patrol every 10 to 20 metres on the streets of Pishan county in China’s restive Xinjiang region after eight people were killed during a knife attack, residents in the area said. The county has issued the highest level of security alert after what the authorities described as a terror attack on Tuesday evening. Three knife-wielding assailants attacked people in a residential compound. Five residents were killed and the three attackers were shot dead by police, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Five people were also seriously injured. The government did not identify the suspects and victims, but some residents said the attackers were Uygurs, the main Muslim ethnic group in Xinjiang. A hotel manager said she was still in shock after the violence “It is the worst attack in Pishan in recent years. We hope the victims find rest in heaven,” said the woman, who asked not to be named. The attacks took place at the entrance to a residential compound, according to the hotel manager. The compound is in the west of the city, not far from the county government headquarters. A restaurant owner told the most businesses and shops were open despite the huge security presence. “My business has not been affected.
