Al-Qaida threatens China with jihad in retaliation for Urumqi riots

Beijing, Oct 8(ANI): A prominent Al-Qaida militant has threatened to attack China in retaliation for the July 5 riots in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The clash between the Han Chinese and Uighur communities had left 197 dead and 1,700 injured.

The terror outfit has urged Uygurs in Xinjiang to "make serious preparations" for a "holy war" against the Chinese government and called on fellow Muslims for "support with all they can", the China Daily reports.

Abu Yahya al-Libi, in a video posted on an Islamist website called for "a true return to their (Uygurs) religion and serious preparation for jihad in the path of God the Almighty and to carry weapons."

It is not the first time that a terrorist group has threatened to attack Chinese targets after the July 5 riots.

Earlier in July, Al-Qaida's Algerian-based offshoot, Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), had issued a call for "reprisals".

AQIM had pledged to target the 50,000 Chinese workers in Algeria as well as Chinese projects and workers across northwest Africa. (ANI)