Four people were given hefty sentences ranging from 8 to 15 years in prison Thursday for stabbing a pedestrian with a syringe in Urumqi, which triggered public scare and caused protests in this capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

President of the Municipal Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi Shi Xinli speaks at a press conference in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2009.  [Xinhua]

Abdulrusul Abdukhadi stabbed a woman surnamed Li in the neck in an underground passage at 10:30 am on Sept. 3, with the help of three others identified as Ablimit Memet, Rehman Raziq and Abdulkeyum Ayup, according to the Municipal Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi.

The four were captured on the scene of the attack.

They were convicted of the crime of "spreading hyped toxic substances" by the court.

Abdulrusul Abdukhadi and Ablimit Memet were sentenced to 15 years in prison, Rehman Raziq 12 years and Abdulkeyum Ayup 8 years. Abdulrusul Abdukhadi and Ablimit Memet were also deprived of political rights for five years and Rehman Raziq for three years.

The court handed down the first-instance sentences five days after it meted out first-instance sentences of 7 to 15 years in jail to three people over syringe attacks on Saturday.