So far this month, police in China's restive western region of Xinjiang have broken up 23 terror and religious extremism groups and caught over 200 suspects, state media reported Monday.

It was the first announcement of a large number of arrests since an attack last week in the region's capital killed at least 43 that police have blamed on a "terrorist gang." Authorities subsequently launched a high-profile one-year security crackdown targeting terrorists and extremists, although the figures for the latest detentions are for the whole month of May.

The official Xinhua News Agency cited the regional security bureau in providing the information. The Tianshan news portal, which is run by the regional branch of the Communist Party, also reported the detentions and raids, which took place in the cities of Hotan, Kashgar and Aksu. The publicity office of the Ministry of Public Security did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.

Based on the names of the five suspects police have identified in Thursday's attack, all appeared to be Uygurs, the region's most populous Muslim ethnic group.