BEIJING – Mystery needle attacks appeared to spread in China's far western region as authorities arrested nine new suspects in three cities, officials said Friday. The suspects were recently detained in the Xinjiang region cities of Hotan, Altay, and Kashgar in connection with alleged attacks involving hypodermic needles, a press officer at the Xinjiang government press center in the provincial capital Urumqi said Friday. He declined to give his name as is customary or provide more details. Since last week, more than 500 people in Urumqi have reported attacks, though only about 100 showed evidence of being pricked. The bizarre stabbings led to mass demonstrations by tens thousands of Han Chinese earlier this month against what they said was a government that can't guarantee their safety.

BEIJING -- Hundreds of Chinese protested deteriorating public safety yesterday after a series of mysterious syringe-needle attacks shook residents in the western Chinese city of Urumqi, where ethnic rioting in July killed nearly 200 people. Yesterday's protest came after days of rumors that gangs roamed the city stabbing mostly Han people with hypodermic needles, scaring residents. While no motivations for the attacks were given, the report gave a breakdown of the victims showing almost all, 433, were Han Chinese. The tally suggested the attacks were ethnically motivated.