URUMQI: Four members of an organized group responsible for needle attacks in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, were sentenced to between eight and 15 years in prison yesterday.

The trial, held at the Municipal Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi, is the second involving the hypodermic needle attacks that had been happening in the city since mid-August. More than 500 civilians were injured in the series of attacks.

Abdulrusul Abdukhadi stabbed a woman surnamed Li in the neck in an underground passage at 10:30 am on Sept 3, with the help of three others identified as Ablimit Memet, Rehman Raziq and Abdulkeyum Ayup, according to the court.