Police shot and killed six suspected terrorists, including one who threatened them with an ax while trying unsuccessfully to detonate bombs in a commercial area of Shule county in the southern part of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region at about 10 am on Monday.

No civilians or police officers were injured in the incident.

The police prevented the bombings after responding to reports from residents about suspicious individuals. It was not clear how many bombs were involved, or whether the attackers were male or female.