The Chinese government arrested over 200 suspects as part of the crackdown on the promotion and circulation of videos promoting terrorism within China. The arrests were made after a series of knife attacks in the southwestern region.
Government insiders have explained that most of the 232 apprehended suspects could be members of the Muslim Uighur minority found in the northwest the province of Xinjiang. Experts believe that these groups, possibly affiliated with other organizations such as Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) and East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) were responsible for the series knife attacks that have recently plagued China.
The local Xinjiang government had banned the circulation and spreading of videos related to or promoting terrorism. This was right before the knife attacks took place. The South China Morning Post reported that the ban also included films regarding "advocating violence and terrorism, religious extremism and separation of ethnic groups."
In April, suspects attacked a local train station in Xinjiang’s provincial capital, Urunqi. The attackers were said to have been armed with knives and even explosives. Three people were killed and over 70 were wounded.
As a response to the recent attacks, the government dispatched groups of armed military police to cover the streets of major cities such as Beijing. Although some residents of Beijing had expressed some discomfort to the new security, most expressed that the precaution was necessary.
