Terrorists issue new Olympic threat, US analysts say

Olympics 2008 News

Aug 8, 2008, 4:05 GMT

Beijing - A little-known Islamic group has issued a new terrorist threat against the Beijing Olympics, US intelligence analysts said Friday. The Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) issued the threat Wednesday in a video posted on the internet, urging Muslims 'not to attend the games or be within the vicinity,' the SITE Intelligence Group reported on its website. The six-minute video 'Call to the Global Muslim Ummah' had a production date of August 1 and similar graphics to a previous video purporting to be from the same group, SITE said. 'The speaker identifies himself as a representative of TIP and urges Muslims to 'choose your side,'' SITE said. 'Do not stay on the same bus, on the same train, on the same plane, in the same buildings or any place the Chinese are,' it quoted the speaker as saying. The video also urged Muslims to give financial, physical and spiritual support to the group, SITE said. A similar TIP video, distributed online from July 24, showed the Beijing Olympics logo in flames. China has identified independence-seeking Uighur groups from its central Asian region of Xinjiang as the biggest potential terrorist threat during the Olympics. China has said the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a militant Uighur group, has plotted to sabotage the Olympics by trying to blow up a domestic airliner, kidnap foreigners and cause explosions at Olympics venues. Uighur and human rights groups have accused China of exaggerating the threat from a group, whose actual strength is unclear. Some Chinese officials in Xinjiang also played down the threat of terrorism. But Shi Dagang, the Communist Party secretary of Xinjiang's Kashgar city, said an attack Monday in the city was linked to ETIM. The attack against a group of armed police jogging outside their barracks left 16 officers dead and 16 injured, state media said. Reacting to the latest threat in the video on Friday, Wang Wei, the general secretary of the Beijing Olympic organizers, said China would 'spare no effort' in securing the games. 'Security is always a top job,' Wang said. 'We spare no efforts in making a safe games.' 'Security has been reinforced, but we also want to have a relaxed atmosphere at the games,' Wang told reporters. 'We need to strike a balance.'

Your Talkback on this Story

Note posts made on our older Talkback system will still show below. However, new posts can only be made via the new system (above). We will export the old comments to the new shortly. You can still comment as a guest on the new system but it also allows you to login using various social network and other accounts.

Other features coming soon.

Talkback

page: 1

BrooksbrotherAug 8th, 2008 - 07:29:05

Probably a covert boogy-man funded/urged/backed fear tactic inspired to keep the fear
coming 'till November..y' know those plausibly-deniable guys in black SUVs with wires coming out of their ears? Fairly common de-stablization effort to keep the 'terror' in the forefront of people's minds. I'm suprised that there haven't been more'threat's leading up to the Oly's.

Report this comment

page: 1

Olympics 2008

Terrorists issue new Olympic threat, US analysts say

Olympics 2008 News

Your Talkback on this Story

Talkback

Similar articles

Latest Headlines in Olympics 2008

From Sites We Like

Latest PopEater News

Latest Cinema Blend News

Latest Tech Herald News

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print