Urumqi, China ? China’s security chief blamed Muslim separatists Friday for a string of bizarre needle attacks that drew thousands of angry protesters into the streets as officials disclosed five people were killed and 14 injured during demonstrations in this restive city.

Police fired tear gas to break up continuing protests by thousands of Han Chinese, the country’s majority ethnic group, underscoring how unsettled Urumqi remains despite a massive security crackdown following ethnic rioting in July that left 197 people dead.

The Xinjiang region, of which Urumqi is the capital, has for decades faced a simmering separatist movement by Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group.

Deputy Mayor Zhang Hong said the most recent deaths all came Thursday, the first day of the demonstrations. Zhang said two of those killed were “innocent,” but gave no other details of their identities or the circumstances of their deaths, other than saying they occurred in “small-scale clashes.” He said authorities were still investigating the other three deaths.

Earlier Friday, Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu said the same Muslim separatists that Beijing blames for the July 5 ethnic rioting also orchestrated the syringe attacks.