China Blames Muslim Separatists For Deadly Knife Attack

Enlarge this image toggle caption Sui Shui/EPA/Landov Sui Shui/EPA/Landov

This post was updated at 2:10 p.m. ET.

A bizarre mass stabbing at a southern China rail station on Saturday that killed at least 29 people and wounded 143 others is being blamed on Muslim separatists.

As we reported on Saturday, the 10 knife-wielding assailants randomly stabbed people at the Kunming Railway Station in Yunnan province.

Xinhua citing city officials says the attackers, who were shot or subdued by police, are thought to be affiliated with Xinjiang (province) separatist forces, an allusion to Muslim Uighurs, and that authorities consider the incident "an organized, premeditated violent terrorist attack."

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post:

"The attack came ahead of the opening of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Monday and the National People's Congress on Wednesday." "This is traditionally the most politically sensitive time of the year, with the government eager to maintain stability and paint a rosy picture as thousands of delegates and government leaders head to the capital."

Bloomberg reports that China's state media "have already labeled it a terrorist attack and referred to the incident as "China's '9-11.'"