Four suspected terrorists stood trial on Friday following an attack at a railway station in southwest China's Kunming City in which 31 people died.

According to reports, Iskandar Ehet, Turgun Tohtunyaz, and Hasayn Muhammad were tried for charges related to organizing and leading a terrorist group while Patigul Tohti was charged for joining a terrorist group and several counts of murder.

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Patigul Tohti was arrested during the attack while the other three were caught trying to flee the country.

The trial began at around 9 in the morning as all four suspects appeared at Kunming's Intermediate Court in the province of Yunnan.

As an advanced safety measure, the city's police force has been put on red alert, as law enforcement cruisers barrage the downtown square and officers stand guard in front of the court.

According to the Kunming Municipal People's Procuratorate, eight people have been identified as involved in the attack.

On March 1, China's southwest city witnessed one of the deadliest attacks in the history of the country.

A group of five people armed with knives stormed the railway on March 1 in a stabbing rampage, leaving 31 dead and nearly 150 others hospitalized.

Authorities who responded to the crime shot and killed four of the perpetrators, leaving the other four to be detained and tried.

Based on their names, the four attackers on trial appear to be members of the Uighur ethnic minority, Reuters reported on Friday.

According to the court, the assailants appear to be "influenced by extremist religious thinking" and started plotting the attack in December.

Though it was not stated how long the trial was set to last, typical Chinese trials usually conclude in a day.

Reports stated that if found guilty, the suspects may face several years in prison or even death as China's leaders vowed to strike hard at separatists and religious extremists groups.

TagsKunming City, train station, railway, stabbing, Kunming, train station attack, trial, terrorists, extremists