The Kyrgyz authorities say the Chinese diplomat shot dead last weekend in the capital, Bishkek, was an accidental victim of what they describe as a criminal dispute.

They say the main target was the Chinese businessman the diplomat was travelling with.

The businessman, who was also killed in the attack, was an ethnic Uighur.

The Kyrgyz interior minister, Bakirdin Subanbekov, said there was no political motive behind the shooting, despite earlier reports that it could have been linked to Uighur separatists, who want an independent Muslim state in China.

Three people have been detained on suspicion of being linked to the killings.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service