Chinese police break up Uighur protest after prayers

URUMQI (Reuters) - Chinese riot police broke up a small demonstration by Uighurs leaving Friday prayers in a Muslim Uighur neighborhood of Urumqi, arresting five or six who were taken away with hands above their heads.

A crowd of several hundred has gathered near the White Mosque along with hundreds of riot police with submachine guns as armored police vehicles blocked roads around the building.

The demonstration was the first sign of unrest days after deadly rioting in the ethnically divided city, but appeared to be only a localized flareup.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley, writing by Lucy Hornby)