07 July 2009 - 02H01

China police hold 1,434 over Xinjiang riots: reports

Chinese police have arrested 1,434 suspects over deadly weekend riots in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, state media reported.

The official Xinhua news agency had earlier said that more than 700 people had been detained over the unrest, in which at least 156 people were killed on Sunday.

State media said the deaths occurred when Muslim Uighurs went on the rampage in some of the deadliest ethnic unrest in China in decades. But Uighur leaders said the riots started after Chinese police had attacked a peaceful protest.

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