Terrorists plotting to bomb China olympics

[EvilMonkey]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336250,00.html

 

Terror Plots Targeting Beijing Olympics, Jetliner Foiled in China

Sunday, March 09, 2008

 

March 9: Xinjiang Communist Party leaders Wang Lequan and Nur Bekri at the National People's Congress in Beijing, China.

BEIJING — Chinese police broke up a terror plot targeting the Beijing Olympics, and a flight crew foiled an apparent attempt to crash a Chinese jetliner in a separate case, officials said Sunday.

 

Wang Lequan, the top Communist Party official in the far western region of Xinjiang, said materials seized in a Jan. 27 raid in the regional capital, Urumqi, suggested the plotters' planned "specifically to sabotage the staging of the Beijing Olympics."

 

"Their goal was very clear," Wang told reporters at a meeting of Xinjiang delegates in Beijing.

 

Wang cited no other evidence or sources of the information and earlier reports on the raid had made no mention of Olympic targets.

 

Wang said the group had been trained by and was following the orders of a Uighur separatist group based in Pakistan and Afghanistan called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM. The group has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United Nations and the United States. East Turkestan is another name for Xinjiang.

 

China says its main terror threat comes from ETIM. Although the group is not believed to have more than a few dozen members, terrorism experts say it has become influential among extremist groups using the Internet to raise funds and find recruits.

 

Chinese forces reported raiding an ETIM training camp last year and killing 18 militants allegedly linked to al-Qaida and the Taliban.

 

Wang said security forces would take pro-active measures to crush terrorism, religious extremism, and separatism.

 

"These guys are fantasizing if they think they can disrupt the Olympics," said Wang, known for his hardline stance on crushing dissent. "They don't have the strength."

 

Speaking at the same meeting, Xinjiang's governor said a flight crew prevented an apparent attempt to crash a China Southern flight from Urumqi to Beijing on Friday. Nur Bekri did not specifically label the incident a terrorist act, saying it remained under investigation. No passengers were injured and police were investigating, he said.

 

The incidents may give greater force to China's arguments that extreme measures are necessary to ensure social stability and the safety of the August Olympics, already the focus of negative publicity from the regime's critics.

 

While deadly violence is less common in China than in many countries — Beijing bans virtually all private gun ownership — officials were quick to assert that a deadly hostage drama involving 10 Australian travel agents last week was not an embarrassment in the run-up to the Olympics.

 

The hostage-taker was shot and killed by a police sniper after an almost three-hour standoff in the northern tourist hub, Xi'an. The hostage-taker's motive was not known.

 

Chinese forces have for years been battling a low-intensity separatist movement among Xinjiang's Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim people who are culturally and ethnically distinct from China's Han majority. Iron-fisted Chinese rule has largely suppressed the violence, however, and no major bombing or shooting incidents have been reported in almost a decade.

 

China has ratcheted up anti-terror preparations ahead of the Games, with the nation's top police official last year labeling terrorism the biggest threat facing the event.

 

Although terrorism experts say the threat is not high given China's tight social controls, they warn that Beijing's counterterrorism capabilities are weak, especially in intelligence gathering and analysis.

 

Earlier reports said police found guns, homemade bombs, training materials and "extremist religious ideological materials" during the January raid in Urumqi, in which two members of the gang were killed and 15 arrested. Authorities have not identified those killed and arrested or their specific targets.

 

The Global Times newspaper published by the Communist Party had earlier said the group planned bombings and other "violent terrorist incidents" for Feb. 5, the last business day before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday.

 

Few details were available about the alleged attempt to crash the China Southern Airlines flight Friday morning. Bekri indicated that more than one person was involved, but did not specify whom police suspected in the attempt, saying it remained under investigation.

 

"From what we presently know, this was an attempt to crash the plane," Bekri said.

 

"Because this incident just occurred, questions as to who these people were, where they came from what their goal was, what kind of background, we are currently investigating. Once we've investigated clearly, I believe you will then know," Bekri said.

 

He said the crew responded and the plane made an emergency landing in the western city of Lanzhou with no damage or injuries. He said it continued to its original destination, Beijing, after about one hour.

 

A man who answered the phone at China Southern's Urumqi office said the incident was under investigation and he had no further details. He hung up without giving his name.

 

An airline spokesman reached at its southern hub of Guangzhou refused to answer questions about the incident and said all press inquiries had to be faxed to corporate headquarters.

 

While Bekri refused to further characterize the incident, he prefaced his remarks with a harsh denunciation of Uighur separatists, saying "high-pressure tactics" were the only way of dealing with the problem.

 

"Those in Xinjiang pursuing separatism and sabotage are an extremely small number," Bekri said.

 

"They may be Uighurs, but they can't represent Uighurs. They are the scum of the Uighurs," Bekri said.

 

I would bet that these guys would give their left nut to be in Guantanamo instead of whereever it is thet Chinese have them now.

[knightni]

The Chinese probably gave them financial support until this.

 

Maybe other countries will learn this lesson and stop supporting terrorism.

[EvilMonkey]

In general, I would fear for the olympics. We have had posts here arguing that the atheletes should refrain from political statements and such while at the games, but I think that it would be the terrorist scumbags (of ALL ideologies, faiths and political persuasions) trying to make political statements we should worry about more.

[NorthSideSox72]

And the reason for your highlighting job?

 

[jackie hayes]

And the reason for your highlighting job?

Is today Rhetorical Question Day?

[NorthSideSox72]

Is today Rhetorical Question Day?

Does the pope poop in the woods?

 

[Rex Kickass]

The last terrorist attack on the Olympics involved Christian Extremists, no?

[EvilMonkey]

And the reason for your highlighting job?

I just found it oddly curious that China of all places was having problems with Islamic terrorists. I thought they hated the Great Satan for simply being, and hated us and our allies for being in Iraq and Afganistan. I don't see China in those places, or even on the same side as the US, so that struck me as odd.

[NorthSideSox72]

I just found it oddly curious that China of all places was having problems with Islamic terrorists. I thought they hated the Great Satan for simply being, and hated us and our allies for being in Iraq and Afganistan. I don't see China in those places, or even on the same side as the US, so that struck me as odd.

The whole thing with east turkestan or east turkmenistan or whatever they want to call it... its not about religion. Its a region that wants autonomy. Like Tibet, but on a much smaller scale. China is not apt to let either one get their way. And I suppose in both cases, religion plays a role - Islam or Buddhism. But what they ultimately want is freedom and self-rule. These turkics get support from their bretheren in the region - just like the Tibetans do. The turk supporters will tend to be islamic, Tibetans will be buddhist.

 

I guess I just don't see it being about religion.

 

[lostfan]

terrorist scumbags (of ALL ideologies, faiths and political persuasions)

No need to qualify that statement.

 

Overwhelming majority of today's terrorists = radical Muslims. Nothing politically incorrect about pointing that out.

[knightni]

The last terrorist attack on the Olympics involved Christian Extremists, no?

Was Eric Rudolph a Christian?

[Rex Kickass]

Used to be all about the Christian Identity thing. Now he's a self-described Catholic.

[knightni]

So, by "Christian" you mean "Protestant Christian". Since, Catholics are Christians as well.

 

Was McVeigh a Christian?

[EvilMonkey]

The last terrorist attack on the Olympics involved Christian Extremists, no?

I think that should be singular, not plural. UNless you are suggesting he was trained at some secret Al-Jesus traingin camp in the Bible belt or something.

[Rex Kickass]

I think that should be singular, not plural. UNless you are suggesting he was trained at some secret Al-Jesus traingin camp in the Bible belt or something.

 

Did he act alone? Yes. Did he receive aid and comfort from Christian Identity folks in North and South Carolina while in hiding, who knew exactly what he did there and at other abortion clinics and gay bars? Yes. So I think the plural works fine.

 

Oh and Catholic is a Christian faith, knightni. He identified himself as part of the Christian Identity movement before, now he's identifies as a Catholic. There was no subtext there.

[EvilMonkey]

Did he act alone? Yes. Did he receive aid and comfort from Christian Identity folks in North and South Carolina while in hiding, who knew exactly what he did there and at other abortion clinics and gay bars? Yes. So I think the plural works fine.

 

Oh and Catholic is a Christian faith, knightni. He identified himself as part of the Christian Identity movement before, now he's identifies as a Catholic. There was no subtext there.

I'm sure you would. And because you have a lone 'Christian' nutbag cause this disturbance, it somehow cancels all the disruptions caused by people identifying themselves with other religions? How many acts of terrorism have been carried out in the name of Christ in the last 50 years? Compare that to the amount done in the name of Allah. The Christian attacks are probably even outnumbered by the enviro-wackos like ELF. They are not on the same playing field, so to mention him as any kind of comparrison to Islamist terrorists is absurd.

 

That being said, I am concerned about how the article mentioned China's real lack of anti-terrorism abilities. All we need are Islamist terrorists taking the Israeli athletes (or Americans) hostage or blowing up their dorm building or something. The world as a whole doesn't need the kind of instability that would cause. Gas would triple, people would panic and stocks would tumble, and it would not be a good thing.

[GoSox05]

I'm sure you would. And because you have a lone 'Christian' nutbag cause this disturbance, it somehow cancels all the disruptions caused by people identifying themselves with other religions? How many acts of terrorism have been carried out in the name of Christ in the last 50 years? Compare that to the amount done in the name of Allah. The Christian attacks are probably even outnumbered by the enviro-wackos like ELF. They are not on the same playing field, so to mention him as any kind of comparrison to Islamist terrorists is absurd.

 

That being said, I am concerned about how the article mentioned China's real lack of anti-terrorism abilities. All we need are Islamist terrorists taking the Israeli athletes (or Americans) hostage or blowing up their dorm building or something. The world as a whole doesn't need the kind of instability that would cause. Gas would triple, people would panic and stocks would tumble, and it would not be a good thing.

 

 

There's been plenty accounts of Christian terrorism in the United States and in other parts of the world in the last 50 years or so. The KKK, Aryan Nations, Oklahoma City bombing, Lambs of Christ, White Eagles in Serbia called for a "Christian, Orthodox Serbia with no Muslims and no unbelievers".

 

Tripura Baptist Christian Union in India has been accoused of funding terrorism.

 

Northern Ireland's war. On both sides really.

 

 

and the Lord's Resistance Army. Which have been accused of many acts of mutilation, torture, rape, abduction, the use of child soldiers and a number of massacres.

 

 

[NorthSideSox72]

I would be curious to see if anyone really has published any sort of broad-based study of terrorism in the last few years, to see how many acts were religiously motivated, and of those how many are attributed to specific religions. I don't think it would be nearly as dominantly islamic as some here seem to. But I can't say I really know anything like for sure.

 

[Rex Kickass]

Although I think Islamic terror is a significant part of the total, I think that a lot of the terror attacks we see are not necessarily religiously motivated, but ethnically motivated.

 

Plus the FARC in Colombia.

[NorthSideSox72]

Although I think Islamic terror is a significant part of the total, I think that a lot of the terror attacks we see are not necessarily religiously motivated, but ethnically motivated.

 

Plus the FARC in Colombia.

And those are some of the complications - organizations that get help from religious organizations, but whose motivations are nationalistic or the like. This East Turkmen group is along those lines.

 

[Rex Kickass]

Tamil Tigers too.

[GoSox05]

And those are some of the complications - organizations that get help from religious organizations, but whose motivations are nationalistic or the like. This East Turkmen group is along those lines.

 

 

I think alot of these are also separatist movements. The IRA is mostly catholic, but their main objective is to be separate from England.

 

Same thing with ETA in Spain.

[Balta1701]

Although I think Islamic terror is a significant part of the total, I think that a lot of the terror attacks we see are not necessarily religiously motivated, but ethnically motivated.

 

Plus the FARC in Colombia.

If you look at the last 5 years, the only question that matters is how you count the totals coming out of Iraq, because those numbers swamp everything else.

[sox4lifeinPA]

I think that should be singular, not plural. UNless you are suggesting he was trained at some secret Al-Jesus traingin camp in the Bible belt or something.

 

Al-Jesus.... too funny