Beijing, July 15 (DPA) Three Uighurs shot by Chinese police in the far western city of Urumqi had tried to take over a prayer meeting and called for a jihad, or holy war, state media said Wednesday.

About 150 people were inside an unnamed mosque on Urumqi's Jiefang Road Monday afternoon when one of the three men tried to grab the microphone from the imam, the official China Daily reported.

The man was stopped but stood up several minutes later, unfurling a green banner, shouting 'jihad' and calling on other Uighurs in the mosque to follow him, the newspaper quoted the imam as saying.

The imam said he ended the prayer session early and ordered the eviction of the man from the mosque, the report said.

Security guards intervened when the man's two accomplices took out long knives and tried to force people to go with them.

As the melee spilled outside the mosque, the three men chased a security guard who was trying to shepherd people away, the guard was quoted as saying.

He said police stopped the group but were forced to shoot the three Uighurs after their warning shots failed to halt the attack on him.