An 18-year-old has been identified by Chinese authorities as the mastermind behind the murder of Juma Tayir, the state media Xinjiang Daily reported on Monday. Investigators reveal that the suspect was strongly motivated by religious extremism and used these ideologies to plot and push through with the plan to kill the state-appointed imam of China's largest mosque. In addition, the 18-year-old was said to have utilized 'terrorist videos' and other multimedia materials to persuade followers into taking part in the slaying of the known pro-government Muslim leader.

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The report named Aini Aishan as the brains behind the July 30 attack, which took place in the western region of Xinjiang. Authorities disclosed that Aini was captured in the city of Hotan, which is also located in Xinjiang, two days after the fatal incident. Tayir, a prominent Uighur government supporter and well-known advocate of government policies, was slayed by three purported Islamist militants. The attackers were all armed with knives and axes. Two of the said assailants were fatally shot by the police while the third attacker, Nurmemet Abidili, was taken into custody.

"The goal is to kill Juma Tayir so you can go to heaven," Ainis was quoted, pertaining to the instructions he gave to the assailants. In accordance with his own beliefs, Aini has come to regard Tayir as someone who had "twisted the meaning of the Koran". The mastermind also claimed that Tayir's teachings instilled in him the belief that "killing someone so influential would create a large impact". These claims reported by the state-controlled paper were bolstered by interviews with both men.

According to authorities, Aini took charge of Nurmemet's "education" on Islam by "showing him the terrorist videos and teaching him about religious extremism". He taught the attacker about jihad, which is a significant religious duty of Muslims and commonly referred to as the Holy Way of Islam. Nurmemet shared, "The first time I heard the word 'jihad, I was really excited, I wanted to conduct 'jihad' and do great things." Authorities said that Aini came into contact with "a local religious extremist group" in January 2013. The violent terrorist videos, as well as the prohibited religious publications, he used to "preach" were deemed to have been given by the said groups.

Residents of Xinjiang have been struggling with violence for years. This area has been recognized as the home of the Muslim Uighur people who speak a Turkic language. The turbulent state of the place has been said to be caused by the Islamist militants or separatists, who aspire to institute their own independent state, East Turkestan. According to the Chinese government, these groups intend to achieve their goal by frequently causing riots and spreading terroristic acts across the state.

TagsXinjiang Daily, Juma Tayir, Terrorist, Muslim, Islam, Aini Aishan, Hotan, Koran, jihad, Nurmemet Abidili, East Turkestan