Chinese authorities foiled plots to kidnap foreigners and carry out suicide attacks around the Beijing Olympics, police said today, in a fresh blow to the image of harmony China has sought to promote before the Games.
The European Parliament, meanwhile, voted for a possible boycott by EU leaders of the Olympics opening ceremony if China fails to talk to the Dalai Lama, raising pressure on Beijing over the way it has handled a recent wave of unrest in Tibet and neighbouring areas.
We are facing a real terrorist threat. All walks of life and the public should maintain a high degree of vigilance - Chinese police spokesman
Authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang detained 45 suspects and seized explosives and firearms in an operation a police spokesman said cracked two terrorist groups seeking to disrupt the Olympics.
"We are facing a real terrorist threat. All walks of life and the public should maintain a high degree of vigilance," police spokesman Wu Heping told a news conference.
China has heightened security in advance of the Games, which start on August 8, following a rash of anti-Beijing unrest in Tibet and neighbouring areas. Reports have also emerged of at least one pro-independence protest in Xinjiang last month.