Police have shot dead two suspects and captured another in their investigation of the murder of a Chinese religious leader in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
The killings and arrest happened as the suspects resisted arrest with knives and axes at noon on Wednesday, local public security authorities said. The three suspects were wanted over the murder of Jume Tahir, imam of China's largest mosque, the Id Kah Mosque in the city of Kashgar.
The 74-year-old imam, who enjoyed a high reputation among Muslims nationwide, was killed on Wednesday morning after he finished hosting the ritual, the report said.
According to police, the three suspects, influenced by religious extremism, planned to "do something big" to increase their influence. Further investigation is under way.