The verdicts were issued by a court in the regional capital of Urumqi, scene of most of the reported needle attacks as well as earlier ethnic unrest in July pitting Muslim Uighurs against Han Chinese that left nearly 200 dead.

The sentences bring to seven the number of people reported by Chinese media to have been convicted over what the government says were more than 500 attacks using syringes.

The four people sentenced Thursday were found guilty of using a syringe to stab a pedestrian in the neck on September 3, the Xinjiang government said in a statement.

The names of those convicted seemed to indicate they were members of the Uighur ethnic minority, but the statement did not make clear their genders.

The name of their female victim appeared to indicate she was from China's dominant Han ethnic group.

Two of the defendants were sentenced to 15 years in jail, another to 12 years and the last to eight years, the statement said.

"By stabbing an innocent person with a needle, the four defendants created a climate of terror by committing the crime of using a fake dangerous substance, causing the serious consequence of touching off large-scale public gatherings," it said.

Urumqi erupted in violence on July 5, with Uighurs mainly targetting ethnic Han. Most of the nearly 200 dead were Han, authorities have said.

Uighurs have long complained of religious, political and cultural repression by China's government, while Beijing has long claimed it faced a terrorist threat in the remote resource-rich northwestern region.

Uighurs say the July unrest was sparked when security forces reacted harshly to their peaceful protests in the city over an earlier factory brawl in southern China that state media said left two Uighurs dead.

China, however, has said "separatists" orchestrated the violence.

In the wake of the riots, vengeful Han protesters marched by the thousands in Urumqi's streets, prompting a massive Chinese security crackdown.

Residents say reports of the needle stabbings began to emerge in August, prompting thousands of Han to again protest, demanding greater security.

China's Ministry of Public Security said Wednesday that six people were detained in late August in the Xinjiang city of Aksu on suspicion of "plotting" terror bombings in the wake of the July riots.

It said explosive devices also were seized.

Authorities have said repeatedly there has been no sign that toxic chemicals, viruses or other dangerous substances had been used in the needle stabbings.

However, the Urumqi government said earlier that one case involved a man who wielded a syringe filled with heroin in a bid to fend off police arrest.

State media on Saturday reported the first convictions over the attacks, saying three people with Uighur names were sentenced to terms of 7 to 15 years.

The government has blamed the attacks on ethnic separatists, but has provided no evidence.

earlier related report
Police foil 'terror' attacks in China's Xinjiang: govt
Police in China's restive Xinjiang have detained six people suspected of plotting "terror" bombings, two months after deadly ethnic unrest rocked the northwest region, officials said Wednesday.

The detentions come as tensions simmer across Xinjiang in the wake of July violence in the regional capital Urumqi pitting Muslim Uighurs against members of China's dominant Han ethnic group that left nearly 200 people dead.

Earlier this month, the city was again on a knife's edge as five people were killed in mass demonstrations carried out by mainly Han protesters over a spate of hundreds of mysterious syringe attacks.

The six members of the alleged "terror gang" were detained on August 26 in the suburbs of the city of Aksu, 675 kilometres (420 miles) southwest of Urumqi, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement on its website.

A "large quantity" of materials and tools needed to make explosive devices was seized, the ministry said.

An initial investigation revealed the group had built more than 20 devices in three Aksu workshops after the July 5 unrest in Urumqi and "planned to carry out terrorist" attacks using motorbike, car and suicide bombs, it added.

It named the ringleaders as Seyitamut Obul and Tasin Mehmut. The statement did not mention their ethnicity, but the names appeared to indicate they were Uighurs.

Calls to police in both Aksu and the regional headquarters in Urumqi went unanswered.

Beijing has long contended it faces a major Islamic separatist threat originating in the mainly Muslim region bordering Central Asia, linking Uighur dissidents to Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network.

In the run-up to last year's Summer Olympics in Beijing, police said they had broken up 12 terror cells in the Silk Road oasis city of Kashgar in Xinjiang, but little evidence was made public about alleged targets.

China has said "separatists" orchestrated the deadly July unrest, pointing the finger at US-based exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. She had denied any involvement in the violence.

Uighurs say the July unrest was sparked when security forces reacted harshly to their peaceful protests over an earlier factory brawl in southern China that state media said left two Uighurs dead.

Then earlier this month, angry Han Chinese marched through Urumqi demanding better security in the wake of hundreds of needle attacks, which they say were the work of Uighurs.

The protest left five dead and led to the sacking of Urumqi Communist Party chief Li Zhi and regional police chief Liu Yaohua.

Authorities have said they have so far detected no radioactive, poisonous or viral substances in blood samples taken from 250 of the more than 500 stabbing victims.

A court at the weekend sentenced three people to up to 15 years in prison over the attacks. The government has also blamed the assaults on separatists, but has provided no evidence.

Xinjiang's eight million Uighurs, a central Asian, Turkic-speaking people, have long complained of Chinese religious and political oppression.

The region has around 20 million inhabitants divided among 47 ethnic groups. The Han Chinese have increased from six percent to 40 percent of the region's population as a result of policies advocated by Beijing since the 1990s.

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