Man, 18, accused of masterminding imam's murder

An 18-year-old man from a village in Kashgar prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, who was reportedly influenced by religious extremism, is the alleged mastermind behind the murder of an imam from China's largest mosque, local police said on Sunday.

Three people attacked and killed Juma Tayier, 74, after he performed the routine sunrise prayer at 6:58 am on July 30, at Id Kah in Kashgar, the most influential mosque in Xinjiang. Two suspects were shot dead at the scene and the third, Nurmemet Abidili, 19, was taken alive.

Police arrested Aini Aishan, 18, in Xinjiang's Hotan city two days after the murder for allegedly plotting the attack.