POLICE in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have apprehended two people alleged to have spread rumors of a terrorist attack in Shache County in Kashgar Prefecture.
The rumors have been circulating on WeChat and other Internet forums over the past few days, according to the regional government’s publicity department.
Police traced the source of the rumors to a suspect surnamed Sun in Kashgar and another surnamed Jiao in Hami region.
The two are said to have confessed to the charges.
Shache was hit by two terrorist attacks this year.
A gang armed with knives and axes killed 37 civilians on July 28. A court sentenced 12 of the gang to death and 15 others to death with a two-year reprieve.
Another attack on November 29 saw 15 people, including 11 attackers, killed and another 14 people injured.
Police said rumors on a new attack violated the regulation on public security administrative punishments.