18 suspects of Xinjiang attack surrender to police

URUMQI - Eighteen suspects in last month's fatal terrorist attack in Shache County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have surrendered to police after a major campaign encouraging the public to expose them, the regional government said on Sunday.

Crackdown on terrorist attacks?

The attack on July 28 in southern Xinjiang left 37 civilians dead and another 13 injured. A gang armed with knives and axes attacked a police station and government offices in Elixku Township, and some moved onto Huangdi Township, attacking civilians and smashing vehicles as they passed.

Police shot dead 59 of the attackers and arrested 215 others, confiscating banners proclaiming "holy war."

Few of the surrendered suspects were diehard terrorists, many of them were cheated or coerced into joining the terrorist attack, said Abdulkeyum Abdukhadir, an official from the Shache public security bureau.

If found guilty, the suspects who turned themselves in will get a lighter sentence, while those who are still on the loose were warned to surrender as soon as possible, Abdulkeyum Abdukhadir said.

On Aug. 1, the Shache County government made an announcement calling for public tip-offs about the suspects' whereabouts.