Police in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region say weekend violence in the capital of Urumqi has left 140 people dead and at least 800 others injured.

According to doctors, many of the injuries include stab wounds and broken bones.

Police are holding a separatist organization known as the World Uyghur Congress responsible for the violence in which a number of cars and shops were smashed and burned. Regional authorities say the situation is now under control.

According to a government statement released Monday, the unrest was masterminded by Rebiya Kadeer, a former businesswoman in China. In 1999, Kadeer was detained on charges of harming national security. She was released in 2005 to seek medical treatment in the United States.

Investigators are labeling the weekend unrest in Urumqi as quote, "preempted, organized violent crime, instigated and directed from abroad." Authorities are accusing the World Uyghur Congress of using the Internet to recruit and organize supporters.

(XHTV July 6, 2009)