An Attack in Urumqi Shows the Growing Security Challenge in Xinjiang

At 7 p.m. on the evening of April 30, a bomb detonated in the midst of a crowd leaving the south train station in Urumqi, the capital of China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Information on the incident is limited, but initial reports suggest three people were killed and some 79 were injured in the attack. 

The attack was simple and conducted against a soft target. A number of actors could be responsible, from organized groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement to a lone wolf. Attacks such as this are nearly impossible to prevent if Uighur militants have the manpower and will to carry them out.