Four men detained for spreading terrorist video online

Four men in Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province were sentenced on Tuesday to between 10 and 13 days of administrative detention for sharing a video online that contained images of executions carried out by an overseas terrorist group, according to a report by The Paper.

A man watches a video on his mobile phone. [File Photo: IC]

Police say they got a tip off on July 28 that a video depicting violent terrorist-related activity was being shared on WeChat. The anti-terrorism unit of the Huzhou Public Security Bureau opened an investigation, and the following morning four suspects, surnamed Wang, Li, Mei, and Wu, were captured in the city's Wuxing District. The source of the video was traced to another province, where local police have been notified.

According to the police, Wu found the video in a WeChat group on July 15. It shows hostages being executed by an overseas terrorist organization. Wu shared the video in other WeChat groups, where it was seen by Mei, Li, and Wang, who in turn shared it in other groups.

According to China's Anti-Terrorism Law, people who produce or disseminate material that promotes terrorism or extremism face up to 15 days in custody and a maximum fine of 10,000 yuan – about 1,400 U.S. dollars.