Tiananmen crash a suicide attack, 2 suspects identified: China Police

Beijing – Islamic militants from the restive Xinginag region are suspected to be behind the deadly car crash in Tiananmen Square according to Chinese police, reports said Tuesday.

According to news reports, Police officials have named two alleged suspects linked to the attack.

Further the Reuters quoted a source as saying, “The crash was ‘a premeditated suicide attack.’

Earlier, Chinese police had issued a notice to hotels in Beijing asking to look out for “suspicious” guests and vehicles, reported the media there.

The police notice that was circulated on the social media said that a “major case had taken place on Monday” it also named two residents of Pishan and Shanshan counties of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as likely suspects, state-run Global Times reported.

The report added that the number plates of the SUVs that crashed had regional characters suggesting that the vehicles belonged to Xinjiang.

Hinting at the involvement of extremist elements from Uighur minority group, a security official told a news agency that the suspects had Uighur names.

Xinjiang, home to the Uyghur Muslims, has been restive for the past few years as Uyghurs have protested over growing settlements of Han Chinese in the province.

The deadly car crash took place as a sports utility vehicle rammed into the crowds and broke into flames.

The incident took place at Tiananmen Square which is significant as it is the site of the 1989 pro-democracy protests that were violently crushed by the Chinese military.