On May 22, 2014, two SUVs rammed into a crowded street market in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, before exploding into flames, killing 39 civilians and wounding 90. "There were fire engines, ambulances and SWAT teams… Many people were lying on the ground. Smoke was rising from two SUVs," said police officer "Adil" as he narrated the incident. When it comes to the victims, he still finds it hard to take. The suspects believed "more deaths guaranteed entering Paradise," according to "Adil" who questioned the main suspect back then.

Former Deputy Chief of Urumqi Public Security Bureau Kadir Memet, who also investigated the case, told CGTN that some of the terrorists were coaxed into fanatical beliefs such as killing more people would improve their chances of entering Paradise.

In addition, this incident, like many terrorist attacks in the past, wasn't a lone wolf attack but was organized beforehand. "Because there were many explosives, one or two people couldn't have built them," said Kadir. He and his team found the terrorists bought potassium permanganate and other chemicals on the internet as they learned how to produce the dangerous materials online. There was a chat app on the main suspect's phone, which he used to talk with terrorist groups outside China.

According to Kadir, they are also victims because their minds have been poisoned by the "Three Evil Forces" – terrorism, extremism and separatism. "It was a suicide mission. None of the masterminds committed suicide; they just took control of their minds and instructed them to undertake suicide attacks in the name of 'jihad.'"

This is one of many stories in CGTN's exclusive documentary "The war in the shadows: Challenges of fighting terrorism in Xinjiang." Watch the full documentary here.