Xinjiang officials said Chinese police killed 12 people during riots in Urumqi on July 5, AFP reported. Xinjiang Governor Nur Bekri (Nuer Baikeli) said police shot "mobsters" on July 5 after they ignored initial warning shots, but did not specify if those shot were from the Uighur or Han ethnic groups. "The police showed as much restraint as possible during the unrest," he said. Bekri also raised the official death toll from the riots to 197 from 192; 1,721 people were injured. Despite the ethnic tensions behind the riots, Beijing has framed them as being orchestrated by US-based Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer.
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