China Probes Beijing Olympics Terror Threat

China says it is investigating a claim by a Uighur separatist group, the Turkestan Islamic Party — better known as the Islamic Party of East Turkestan (ETIM) —  that it was behind several recent attacks, the BBC reports.

The include the May 5 Shanghai bus bombing that killed three, another unspecified Shanghai attack, a tractor-bombing of police in Wenzhou on July 17, a bombing of a Guangzhou plastic factory the same day and the bombings of three buses in Kunming on July 21 that killed at least two that we noted here.

The group has released a video in which Commander Seyfullah said there wold be more to come, according to a transcript from the Washington-based Intel Center:  “Our aim is to target the most critical points related to the Olympics. We will try to attack Chinese central cities severely using the tactics that have never been employed.” Commander Seyfullah said the group would focus on the eight cities that were Olympic venues and might use biological weapons.

ETIM is an ethnic Uighur and Muslim separatist group seeking to create an independent state out of heavily Muslim Xinjiang province. It was designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on Washington and New York, though somewhat reluctantly and at the lower of its two levels of designation as Washington wants China to recognize the legitimate rights of the Uighur minority.

Authorities have previously denied the explosions were the work of militants but have warned of threats to the Games. We posted about this in March. Earlier this month, officials said they had broken up five terrorist groups in Xinjiang, and that 82 suspected terrorists had been arrested this year for plotting to sabotage the Beijing Games.